TEETHING problems on the new Mid-Levels link saw five of the 20 escalators go out of action when it was opened to the public for the first time yesterday.
Mechanical hitches plagued the 800-metre Hillside Escalator Link, which has cost more than $205 million and taken 21/2 years to build.
But escalator engineer Edouard Barroero , who was working on the link during its first day of use, said problems on a new escalator were to be expected.
''A lot of weight on the floor plates at the bottom of each escalator sometimes triggers the safety switch to stop the escalator. So, we have to make adjustments to stop this happening,'' he said.
Engineers worked all morning and early afternoon in an effort to get the link running smoothly, with most of the problems occurring above Shelley Street. Individual escalators had to be cordoned off for adjustment, forcing passengers to use stairways.
But the Transport Department said results from the first day of operation were as expected.