Clive Page wrote:

The easy solution, in my opinion, is simply to run the escalators a bit
faster, say a 25% increase in speed at rush-hours. Most users then are
commuters so will easily cope. Those in Russia and nearby countries
seem to cope with much higher speeds.

I just returned from my most recent trip to Beijing which included several
subway journeys. If you want to experience crowding, that's definitely the place
to see it. It's not just the cars that are full, but the platforms and halls as
well.

What seems to happen on the escalators when things are crowded is that no
walking up occurs - standing both sides. They don't run them above average speed
though.