THE world’s deepest subway is buried so far underground that passengers’ ears pop from the pressure change – and you have to descend eight escalators to reach it.
Hongyancun Station in Chongqing, central China, sits a staggering 116m below the surface, which is equivalent to heading down 40 storeys.
There are eight escalators that take passengers between the station and ground levelWikimedia Commons
Wikimedia CommonsThe platform at Hongyancun subway in Chongqing is 116 metres below ground level[/caption]
GettyThe landscape in the Chongqing area is full of hills and steep cliffs[/caption]
Ear-popping is usually reserved for steep descents in aeroplanes, but the sheer distance one must travel underground to reach the platform in Chongqing means the phenomenon is recreated.
The effect is more noticeable to passengers who opt to whizz down through the earth in the elevator than those navigating the eight escalators.
This is because a more gradual descent gives the ears more time to equalise the pressure, so the “popping” sensation is not so severe.
Most escalator journeys are under 10 seconds, but it takes almost a minute to plummet down the 116m to the station level – 53 seconds to be precise.
When the station was being constructed, it took workers 38 minutes to climb the stairs up from the station to the surface – and was likened to climbing a mountain each day.
The station can be found in the Yuzhong District of the Chongqing municipality – an area famed for its undulating hills and winding roads.
It was this extremely hilly landscape that led to the creation of such a deep station.
Despite being such a long way underground, the station is not dark and damp as you might expect.
That’s because it opened very recently, so it has benefitted from all the wonders of modern construction methods.
Hongyancun Station opened just three years ago, in January 2022, meaning it is futuristic compared to most subway system standards.
The London Underground, for example, opened in 1863 when a fleet of steam locomotives chugged along the tunnels.
London’s subterranean system also does not compare when it comes to depth.
The deepest London Underground station is Hampstead Tube Station which sits 58m below the surface – exactly half the depth of the Chinese structure.
America’s subway network also cannot compare – the deepest station in the states is Washington Park in Portland, Oregon, at 79m below ground level.
The entrance to Hongyancun subway stationWikimedia Commons
The second entrance to Hongyancun subway stationWikimedia Commons
GettyChina,Chongqing municipality boasts the epic Wulong National Park, which is a geological wonder of the world[/caption]
The second-deepest underground station in the world can be found in North Korea on the Pyongyang Metro, which reaches maximum depths of around 110m.
Next after that is Arsenalna Station in Kyiv, Ukraine, at 105m below ground.
Due to its world-record-holder status, Hongyancun Station quickly emerged as a tourist attraction.
Thrill seekers documented themselves travelling to the area just to take the plunge down to the station level
The station was completed in January 2022 after 400 gruelling days of construction.
Wikimedia CommonsThe top of one of the eight escalators leading down to the platform[/caption]
The station is kitted out with modern infrastructure having opened just three years agoWikimedia Commons
GettyTourists flocking to Wulong National Park may well pass through Hongyancun Station[/caption]
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