The Eight Escalator Descent to the Center of China

Would you rather take eight escalators or one, ear-popping elevator to your train platform? That is the question some Chinese locals must ask during their commutes. Train commuting has a reputation for fast, convenient transportation, in most cases. However, that is not the case for the tourist-attracting Hongyancun Station in Chongqing, China that lies 116 m below the Earth’s surface. That’s equivalent to 40 stories or 10 min and a copious number of escalators underneath the city’s Yuzhong District, known for its steep hills and mountainous landscapes. Passengers of the world’s deepest train station also have the option to take a 53-s-long elevator ride to the train platform but will have to deal with popping their ears a couple of times to account for the rapid pressure changes like those of an airplane ascent.

When the station on Line 9 of the Chongqing Rail Transit first opened in 2022, its staggering depth broke China’s previous record held by Line 10’s Hongtudi station. Hongyancun Station also beat the world record for the deepest metro station depth previously held by the Kyiv Metro’s Arsenalna station. During construction, the descent took workers approximately 38 min to climb to the top from the bottom of the station. Inside, the station seems just like any other subway station in China, yet there are only two lines. Whether passengers are taking Entrance 2, walking along three different moving walkways; Entrance 4, a slightly quicker escalator marathon; or taking the elevator, there’s no getting around the record-holding descent to the trains of Hongyancun Station.