Manish Mehan, CEO and Managing Director, TK Elevator India, elaborates on the opportunities for elevator and escalator manufacturers in railways and airports segments in India. The elevator and escalator market in India is expected to grow by $522.84 million during 2021-25, progressing at the rate of 9 per cent. This is propelled by the growing number of metro and airport projects and high economic growth. Infrastructure growth in India is expected at a CAGR of approximately 7 per cent as the Government is projected to invest about Rs.102 trillion in infrastructure projects by 2024-2025. Having said that, as cities urbanise, India has been witnessing a rapid increase in investments in large-scale metro projects, especially in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, to support the transportation and development needs. Over the past decade, new metro rail lines have been added in areas near Delhi. Similarly, metro rail projects have been introduced in other Indian cities such as Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune, with further plans to enhance connectivity in the future. Furthermore, India aims to build new airports to cater to the needs of increasing domestic and international air traffic. The rise in number of airports is expected to go up from 153 in 2020 to around 200 by 2040. Promoting India’s Smart Cities Mission, these advancements in the field of infrastructure and technology with their integration will bring India one step closer to becoming an advanced aviation hub in the region. These developments have accelerated demand for smart and efficient escalator and elevator systems in India resulting in new opportunities for leading manufacturers. Shortening travel times and making journeys safe and hassle-free are the main tasks of elevators and escalators at airports and metro stations. They help passengers navigate through distant and complex spaces to catch flights, and move quickly and seamlessly between terminals while their luggage gets maneuvered through various sections of an airport. Especially with the latest mobility solutions, the development of elevators and escalators has become much more efficient. Smart elevators such as IoT- based elevators can monitor performance, offer real-time maintenance recommendations, provide updated status, advance reporting, control, and monitor the elevator remotely. For instance, TK Elevator’s, “MAX”, which is a game-changing predictive and pre-emptive maintenance solution that extends remote monitoring capabilities to dramatically increase current availability levels of existing and new elevators. Utilising the power of Internet of Things (IoT) and Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing technology, MAX predicts maintenance issues before they occur, and empowers elevator engineers by flagging the need to replace components and systems before the end of their lifecycle. Sustainability is often a key factor for project owners when choosing between mobility solutions. Modern airports and transportation hubs look for mobility systems that are more energy-efficient, more intelligent and more integrated into the building operations workflow. Leading and more innovative players in the market have more comprehensive and innovative solutions in place to satisfy these requirements, and would be able to better capture these opportunities. TK Elevator’s presence in various high-speed rail, train and subway stations across Asia Pacific highlights the company’s capability in providing safe, high performing and reliable solutions to airports and large-scale infrastructure projects. Conclusion With a more positive outlook on tourism over the next few years, more subway and railway network expansion in the pipeline, and new transportation infrastructure being continuously built across India, we see enormous opportunities for leading manufacturers of elevators, escalators and moving walks.