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99% Invisible
99% Invisible

The Moving Walkway Is Ending

November 18, 2025 • 39m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

This episode explores the fascinating history of moving walkways, from their origins as a grand vision for urban mass transit in the 1870s to their current status as ubiquitous airport infrastructure. Reporter Jasper Davidoff traces how these 'endless trains' evolved from ambitious proposals to transform cities into practical solutions for airport terminals, examining why they succeeded in some contexts while failing in others.

The Origins of Moving Sidewalks in 19th Century Manhattan

In 1871, inventor Alfred Speer proposed an ambitious solution to Manhattan's congestion problem: an 'endless traveling sidewalk system' running above Broadway at 10 miles per hour. Despite getting two bills passed by the New York legislature, the project was ultimately vetoed by the governor. Speer's vision of continuous moving platforms with benches, drawing rooms, and transfer stations represented one of the first serious attempts to reimagine urban transportation through mechanical means.

  • Alfred Speer proposed an endless traveling sidewalk system for Broadway in 1871 to solve Manhattan's congestion crisis
  • The system would run above regular sidewalks on stanchions at the second floor level, moving at 10 miles per hour
  • Speer calculated it could transport 18,000 passengers every hour with transfer stations to help people get up to speed
  • Two New York legislature bills passed supporting the project in 1873 and 1874, but Governor John Dix vetoed both
" It is the solution, and the only true solution, of rapid transit. "
" You don't get a patent on something that's whimsical. "

World's Fairs Bring Moving Walkways to Life

The concept of moving walkways transitioned from paper proposals to reality at world's fairs, most notably at the 1893 Chicago fair and the spectacular 1900 Paris Exposition. The Paris installation, called Le Trottoir Roulant, was a four-kilometer loop with multiple speed platforms that ran through the city center. Though temporarily constructed for the fair, it demonstrated that the technology was viable and captured public imagination through early silent films documenting the experience.

  • The 1893 Chicago World's Fair built the first moving sidewalk on a pier into Lake Michigan as an amusement ride
  • The 1900 Paris World's Fair featured a four-kilometer moving walkway loop with high-speed and slow-speed platforms
  • The Paris walkway ran at window level, with some entrepreneurs and sex workers attempting to sell services to passing riders
  • Thomas Edison's film company documented the Paris moving walkway in some of the earliest surviving silent film
" Some people were really shocked about the idea, thought that their privacy was being basically like violated. "

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