Chongqing Rail Transit

Trains help people move in a big city.

This city has many hills and rivers. Because of this, the trains do many things.

Some trains go very high on big bridges. One station is even six stories tall! Other trains go deep under the ground. One station is the deepest in the whole world. Some trains move on tracks that go around in a loop. These trains are a very busy way to travel.

It is a fun way to see the city.

Chongqing is a very busy city in China. It has many hills and big rivers.

Because of this, the trains must do special things. The Chongqing Rail Transit, or CRT, is the city's train system. It has twelve lines that help people travel.

Some lines are heavy-rail metro lines. These are standard trains that carry many people. Other lines are monorails. A monorail is a train that runs on a single rail. The monorail lines in Chongqing are very special. Line 3 is the longest and busiest monorail in the world!

The city's hills make building tracks hard. Some trains must go very high. The Caijia Bridge is the highest bridge for a metro in the world. Other stations go deep underground. The Hongyancun station is the deepest in the world. It is 116 meters below the ground. There is also a very tall station. The Hualongqiao station is six stories high. It sits 48 meters above the ground. This makes it the tallest metro station in the world.

The Chongqing Rail Transit, or CRT, is a massive train system in China. It helps people move through the busy city of Chongqing. This system is very special because of where it is built. Chongqing is a crowded city with many hills and deep river valleys. These mountains make it a hard job to build normal train tracks. The CRT must find ways to climb steep hills and turn tight corners. This makes the transit system a unique part of the city's life.

To solve these problems, the CRT uses different kinds of trains. Most lines are heavy-rail metro lines, which are standard trains. However, Lines 2 and 3 use monorail technology. A monorail is a train that runs on a single rail. This design helps the trains move up steep grades easily.

These monorails can carry 32,000 passengers every hour in one direction. In 2019, the busiest part of Line 3 even carried 37,700 people per hour. This shows how much the system helps the city grow.

Building this system has taken many years of work. The first line to open was Line 2 in 2005.

Line 1 was the first heavy-rail subway line in the city. It started running in 2011 after work resumed in 2009. In 1992, the government made a plan with a company from Hong Kong. But work had to stop in 1997 because of legal issues. Now, the system has twelve lines and is still growing with new construction.

Chongqing is home to many world records for its trains. The Hualongqiao station is the tallest metro station in the world. It is a six-story structure that sits 48 meters above the ground.

On the other hand, Hongyancun is the deepest metro station in the world. It sits 116 meters below the surface. The system also has the highest metro-only bridge. This is the Caijia Rail Transit Bridge on Line 6. It crosses the Jialing River valley very high above the water.

Many people might compare these trains to a giant web. The lines connect different parts of the city like a map of paths.

The Loop line, or Line 0, connects three major railway stations. It links Chongqing North, Shapingba, and Chongqing West stations together. People use special cards to pay for their rides. These cards even work in shops and restaurants. This makes the CRT a central part of how everyone lives in Chongqing.

The Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT) is a massive rapid transit system in Chongqing, China. It serves the city's busy business districts, entertainment areas, and inner suburbs. Since it began operating in 2005, the system has grown into a vital network. It helps millions of people navigate a city that is both densely populated and geographically difficult.

Because Chongqing is a mountainous city with many deep river valleys, the CRT is a unique engineering marvel. It must overcome extreme differences in elevation to connect the hilly plateaus with the low river valleys.

To manage these difficult landscapes, the CRT uses two distinct types of rail technology. Most of the network consists of twelve conventional heavy-rail metro lines. These include Lines 1, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 18, the Loop line, the Jiangtiao line, and the Bitong line. However, Lines 2 and 3 utilize high-capacity monorail technology. A monorail is a train that runs on a single rail. This design allows the trains to negotiate much steeper grades and tighter curves than standard trains.

This capability is essential for the hilly terrain of Chongqing.

The monorail lines are some of the most important parts of the entire system. They can transport 32,000 passengers per hour per direction. In 2019, the busiest section of Line 3 reached a peak volume of 37,700 passengers per hour per direction. At 94 kilometers long, the two monorail lines together form the longest monorail system in the world. Line 3 is also the world's longest single monorail line. It is incredibly busy, carrying 250 million rides in 2015. This makes Line 3 the busiest single monorail line on Earth.

Building the CRT has involved complex history and long-term planning. In 1992, the Chongqing government signed a Build-Operate-Transfer agreement with a company from Hong Kong. This agreement provided the land needed for the project. However, construction stopped in 1997 due to legal issues. Work eventually resumed for Line 1, which began limited service in 2011. Line 2 was the first rapid transit line to open in the Interior West of China back in 2005. Today, the network continues to expand with several other lines currently under construction.

The system holds many world records for its extreme engineering. The Hualongqiao station on Line 9 is a six-story structure. It sits 48 meters above the surface, making it the tallest metro station in the world. In contrast, the system also features the deepest metro stations in China. Hongyancun is the deepest in the world at 116 meters below the surface. Other very deep stations include Hongtudi and Liyuchi. These stations show how the CRT must dive deep into the earth to navigate the city's complex layers.

Bridges are another major component of the CRT's unique infrastructure. The Caijia Rail Transit Bridge on Line 6 is the world's highest metro-only bridge. It spans the Jialing River valley at a great height above the water. The system also features the longest metro-only suspension bridge by main span, which is the Egongyan Rail Transit Bridge. This bridge carries the southern arc of the Loop line across the Yangtze River. Additionally, the Nanjimen Bridge is the longest metro-only cable-stayed bridge by main span. It carries Line 10 trains across the river.

The CRT is a deeply integrated part of the city's daily life and economy. The Loop line, also known as Line 0, connects three major railway stations: Chongqing North, Shapingba, and Chongqing West. Passengers use the Life & Transport Card to pay for their trips. This card is very versatile, as it can also be used in local shops, cinemas, and restaurants. The system is designed for efficiency, though passengers must complete their trips within three hours to avoid extra charges. By connecting various districts through mountains, rivers, and tunnels, the CRT serves as the backbone of Chongqing's urban movement.