World's Longest Outdoor Escalator Opened in China – Takes 20 Minutes to Ascend

The World's Longest Outdoor Escalator Just Opened in China. Riding the 3,000-Foot-Long System to the Top Takes More Than 20 Minutes Skip to main content The escalator opened to passengers on February 17, 2026. CFOTO / Future Publishing via Getty Images The longest outdoor escalator system in the world is now running in Wushan County, China. At nearly 3,000 feet long, it carries pedestrians up 800 feet in elevation—around the height of an 80-story skyscraper. The system is known as the “Goddess” escalator, and it’s made of 21 individual escalators, 8 elevators, 4 moving walkways and several pedestrian bridges. Riding all of them takes roughly 21 minutes. “As far as I know, there are no similar projects nationwide, either exceeding or equal to ours, either under construction or already started,” project design lead Huang Wei, an engineer at China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, tells the Financial Times ’ Thomas Hale and Wang Xueqiao. “It’s the first of its kind.” Wushan is located in the municipality of Chongqing . The mountainous region’s varied elevation makes getting around difficult. “It is famous for its extreme verticality,” writes Interesting Engineering ’s Mrigakshi Dixit. “Trains run through apartment buildings and subway stations deeper than some bunkers.” Quick facts: Other escalator world records According to Guinness World Records, the shortest escalator can be found at a mall in Japan. Its vertical height is just 32 inches. In Germany, Guido Kunze set a world record when he walked up 61,100 escalator stairs in the opposite direction in 2013. Officials have been brainstorming how to improve transit for decades, and the project began in earnest in 2022, according to Chang Chen of iChongqing , a government-run media platform. They considered trains and cable cars, but they eventually settled on the escalator system. “We have experience with similar escalators,” Huang tells the Financial Times , adding that escalators are a “very important part” of life in the city. For example, Chongqing’s Crown escalator, which was built in the 1990s, stretches more than 350 feet, making it one of the longest individual escalators in Asia. Construction of the new escalator took four years and cost $23 million. It was made by Schindler, a Swiss company that has manufactured 1,400 escalators for Chongqing’s metro system. The site has an average slope of 35 percent, with some sections reaching nearly 60 percent, per iChongqing . Engineers created a modular design, using glass to make the structure appear less bulky. They also added three viewing platforms that offer views of the surrounding Yangtze River. The escalator opened to passengers on February 17. Previously, pedestrians made this journey via a long stairway, according to the state-owned China News Service . The escalator hangs above streets that take about an hour to drive during rush hour. An official tells the Financial Times that roughly 9,000 people use the new escalator every day. The system includes 21 individual escalators. CFOTO / Future Publishing via Getty Images The Goddess escalator isn’t the only record-breaking architectural project in China. Last year, the country opened the Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou. At around 2,050 feet above the Beipan River, it’s the highest bridge in the world. Infrastructure is a key component of China’s development, particularly in inland parts of the country. “I think infrastructure investment is still the most important driver for domestic investment,” Dan Wang, head of Eurasia Group’s China team, tells the Financial Times . “That’s something the government can control.” At the same time, China’s ambitious infrastructure projects have also caused serious accidents. In August 2024, 12 workers died when a bridge collapsed in the northwestern province of Qinghai, reported the Washington Post ’s Niha Masih and Lyric Li. For now, the Wushan escalator costs 3 yuan (around 40 cents) to ride. It’s currently in a trial phase, and officials will analyze how many people use it before announcing a final price. You Might Also Like The Highest Bridge in the World Just Opened in China at More Than 2,000 Feet Above the Ground October 1, 2025 A Restored Skyscraper in LA Will Feature a Terrifying Glass Slide March 7, 2016 New Observation Tower Is World's Thinnest August 4, 2016 This 102-Year-Old Man Just Became the Oldest Person on Record to Summit Japan's Mount Fuji August 22, 2025 These Climbers Just Set a New Record for Ascending the World's 14 Highest Peaks August 8, 2023 Sonja Anderson | Read More Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in Chicago. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday. Email Powered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud ( Privacy Notice / Terms & Conditions )