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The escalator at Thane railway station, just over a month old, has been the target of vandals ever since it opened on June 27. Over the past 37 days, it has suffered a number of breakdowns, having had everthing from chappals andto plastic bags and even stones wedged in between its steps by hoodlums. Central Railway has now had to post two people at the escalotor just to keep an eye on it and prevent it from being misused.With both Western and Central Railway looking to install around 100 escalators at their stations in the coming months, this vadalism has become a cause of great concern for officials.Thane railway station was the city's first station to get an escalator on June 27. It was installed between platforms 3 and 4, and is used by approximately 2,500 people ever hour - when it works. On August 1, Vile Parle became the first WR station to get an escalator, and wary officials have already posted two guards there, despite no reports of vandalism yet.A senior CR official told Mirror, “Recently, when the escalator suddenly stopped functioning, we called in the maintainence team. They inspected the escalator and found a slipper stuck inside the machinery. There will obviously be breakdowns if slippers are stuck in between the steps or trash is thrown on it continuously. We have posted two people on a contract basis to monitor it and keep an eye out for vandals."“Another problem we were informed about is that a lot of people use the toothed stairs of the escalator to clean the mud from the soldes of their footwear. To prevent this, we have proposed certain modifications that will prevent mud - or any foreign object - from getting stuck between the escalator steps,” said the official.Mukesh Nigam, divisional railway manager for CR, confirmed that there are plans to add features to the new escalators and make them more robust. “All we can do is request commuters to treat these facilities with respect, as they are the ones who will end up sufferering if they break down,” said Nigam.