The houses through which the train passes are residential. A miracle of Chinese architecture - a monorail through a residential building in the city of Chongqing
The metro station is located in the building itself. No rumble, no powerful vibration - apartment owners do not regret their choice. And the skyscraper has become a new attraction.
Urban landscape as from the future. In Chongqing, China, a subway train seems to fly right through the skyscrapers. The transport solution is, to put it mildly, non-standard. Although it couldn't be otherwise.
It would seem, what kind of subway is here? There are no conditions: on the one hand - a large river, on the other - steep hills. And you can’t go underground because of the peculiarity of the soil. In addition, there is a very dense building on the surface, the houses are window-to-window.
And so Chinese engineers were the first in the world to decide to stretch a branch through buildings. And even equip the station right inside a residential building.
Monorail platform 150 meters long on the eighth floor of a 19-storey building. The house was designed already taking into account the station in it. Japanese engineers were even invited to help on this unprecedented project. After all, they also have little space in the country, here in Osaka, for example, a city highway was launched through a skyscraper. And, of course, the first question that comes to mind: is there a lot of extraneous noise in the house?
No more noise than a washing machine. If the wheels of an ordinary metro are metal, then the monorail is rubber, there is practically no sound from their contact with the tracks. In addition, we developed a special structural design that separates the upper building from the monorail system, although they appear to be a single structure,” says Ye Hong, architect of the station project.
“There were doubts, they were afraid that there would be a roar. Nobody believed in the persuasion of the builders, so the apartments were very cheap at first. What we took advantage of and did not lose!” - Li Xuan, the owner of one of the apartments, rejoices.
Now the price per square meter in this house is the highest in the area. What used to scare off buyers now attracts. Isn't this the dream of a resident of the metropolis - he left the subway and is already at home!
“Now there is very little free real estate there. Despite the price, the apartments still do not linger in our database. Moreover, buyers of various ages,” says realtor Ma Gan.
These girls rent an apartment for two right above the station. Both often stay up late at work. They say that it is also safe to live here - after all, you do not need to return home through the dark streets.
“We don’t worry about each other, you always know exactly when you will return home,” says one of the girls.
“Yes, very comfortable and quiet. In addition, everyone in the city knows this house, ”adds another.
“I just arrived in the city yesterday. And today, the first thing to do here is to look at this amazing building!” - says the tourist.
“Not so much beautiful as interesting in terms of architectural solution!” - notes a tourist, a student of the Faculty of Architecture.
This is not an old building; there are no commemorative plaques and sculptures on the facade. Yes, and in the guidebook this address is not yet found. But there are tourists at every turn. A similar project - a station in a building - was tried on both in Shanghai and Hong Kong. But this house is still the only one of its kind in the whole world!
In the Chinese metropolis chongqing extremely dense development makes it almost impossible to implement new architectural or engineering projects. Therefore, designers sometimes have to make rather extreme decisions. So, in one of the districts of the city, you can see how the monorail passes right through a 19-story building.
The topography of Chongqing is quite complex. The metropolis has many hills, for which it was nicknamed "Mountain City" (Mountain City). In addition, there is a very dense building. It was this problem that architects and engineers faced when laying the monorail line. When a 19-story residential building stood in their way, which could not be bypassed or demolished, the designers came up with an ingenious solution: to build a railway through the building. The monorail passes through the opening between the 7th and 8th floors. A stop for passengers was also equipped there.
The laid tunnel is in contact with the walls of the apartments. Many are interested in the question: does the roar from the train bother the residents of the house. The developers claim that the noise (60 decibels) from the train passing through the house gives people as much anxiety as someone else's conversation at a nearby table in a restaurant.
According to the developers, the construction of a monorail in this section was a risky business, but it more than paid off.
A train passing through a residential building is not the most original thing that the Chinese could come up with. Opened in Hubei province last year
8 trains that pass through the most unusual places.
Most people are used to the way a classic railroad looks like. But in fact, as it turns out, there may be options. There are places where the railway tracks pass right under the windows of houses, follow the sea surface and even along the runway. And this is not a complete list of automotive oddities.
1. The train passing through the Bloomersky section
California, USA
When the railroad was first planned to be built near Obernai, California (in the early 1860s), it seemed impossible, as a 30m high, 150m long wooden trestle would have to be built across a deep ravine, as well as "cutting a path" in the local hills. When the Bloomer Cut was completed in 1864, it was hailed as "the eighth wonder of the world". Surprisingly, the section of the railway passing through the hill has survived to this day.
2. Train passing through a residential building
China
With the unique topography and high density of Chongqing, one of the most populated cities in China, architects and urban planners had to come up with a unique way to develop the city's vital monorail line. Their decision surprised the whole world - trains pass right through a 19-story residential building. From the north, east and south, the city is surrounded by the Daba, Wushan, Wulin and Dalu mountains, and most of the city territory in fact lies on the mountain slopes.
This, combined with the lack of available space due to high building density (population is around 49 million), has made infrastructure development a real challenge. In 2004, during the continuation of the monorail branch, the authorities faced a problem: either demolish the entire residential building and make room for the monorail, or make a tunnel right through the house. In the end, the second option was chosen.
3. A train passing through a narrow street
Vietnam
Almost always, at the entrance to the railway there are special signals and barriers that warn passers-by and drivers about approaching trains. However, what if the rails pass a few steps from the front door. This is exactly what you can see in Hanoi. On a busy street in the city's old quarter, people live and work side by side with railroad tracks that run just a meter from the walls of houses. Shops here are closed for the duration of the train.
4. Train passing over the top of the dam
Germany
Hindenburgdamm is an 11 km dike between the island of Sylt and the German mainland. It was opened in 1927 exclusively for rail traffic. Before the dam was built, communication with the island depended on the "mercy" of the tides, and in winter the Wadden Sea froze completely, making the crossing impossible.
The crossing took about six hours, and in adverse weather and tidal conditions, it lasted even longer. As a result, it was decided to build a railway embankment, through which today more than 100 trains pass every day. 50 of them transport cars, since there is no road to Sylt.
5. 21,000 km railway project from China to the USA
China/Russia/Canada/USA
China plans to build an ambitious 21,000-kilometer rail line to launch bullet trains to America via Russia. At the same time, crossing the Bering Strait between Russia and Alaska involves the construction of a 200-kilometer underwater tunnel under the Pacific Ocean.
The proposed rail line will start in China, pass through Siberia, under the Bering Strait, through Alaska and Canada, and end in the United States. The Chinese expect trains on this line to reach speeds of 350 km/h, allowing passengers to travel from China to the US in less than two days.
6. The world's longest railway tunnel
UK/France
The world's longest and deepest railway tunnel officially opened in Switzerland in 2016, after two decades of construction work. The 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel provides high-speed rail links across the Swiss Alps between northern and southern Europe. In second place is the 53.9-kilometer Japanese Seikan railway tunnel, and in third place is the 50.5-kilometer Eurotunnel linking Britain and France under the English Channel.
7. Train passing through a spiral viaduct
Switzerland
In the Swiss commune of Brusio, you can find a nine-arch single-track railway bridge that curves in a loop. Like most spiral tracks, it was built to change the height of the railroad tracks. The length of the viaduct is 110 meters, and the longitudinal slope is 7%.
8. Train passing on the runway
New Zealand
Gisborne Regional Airport is located on the western edge of Gisborne in New Zealand. It is one of the few airports in the world where you can see the railway line crossing the runway. Here, trains stop in front of the GDP during takeoff and landing of aircraft. Vineyard Airport in Tasmania also had a railroad crossing on the runway, but due to the fact that there was almost no rail traffic here, the route was closed in early 2005.
In Chongqing, one of China's largest cities by population, one of the monorail lines runs right through a residential building. Its residents can board the train at the Liziba station, which occupies two floors of the house - the seventh and eighth. 
The monorail line is constructed in such a way that it passes through an opening in a residential 19-story building. The nearest walls of the apartments are in contact with the tunnel, and the distance to the side and lower windows does not reach even a meter. 
Although the locals live almost in a busy station, the noise from the trains is suppressed by special equipment. The Daily Mail claims that this sound disturbs residents no more than a running dishwasher, but, according to other sources, people complain about noise and headaches. This decision is the result of a compromise: thanks to him, it became possible not to demolish the entire building for the sake of a new monorail line. A spokesman for the Department of Urban Transportation said: "Our city is very densely built up, and finding a place for new roads is becoming a challenge." 
In the city of Chongqing in southeast China, 49 million people live on an area of 80,000 square kilometers - the Netherlands can fit twice in this territory (for comparison, 12 million Moscow occupies 2,500 square kilometers). In such a situation, urban planners have to be creative in the distribution of space. 
Chongqing is the largest of the four cities of central subordination in China, it is located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialingjiang rivers. It is called the City of mountains (Mountain City) for the steep hilly terrain.