Chongqing's Train Through the Building 2026: Your Complete Guide to Liziba Station

Imagine making breakfast in your 19th-floor kitchen and watching a train glide right through your building. Not nearby, not on an overpass next door—but straight through your home. This isn't a scene from a sci-fi movie; it's just an ordinary weekday in Chongqing! We're talking about the only subway station in the world that is literally built into a residential high-rise.

Today, this crazy engineering feat has become the city's main calling card. Check out my most detailed and honest guide to Liziba Station — complete with the best photo spots, life hacks, and a ready-made itinerary!

Liziba Station | Where the Train Runs right through a Building

Before we rush off to take selfies, let's figure out why this location gets millions of views. Spoiler alert: there's a lot more to it than meets the eye!

• Uniqueness: This is the only subway station in the world with a full-fledged stop built directly into a residential building. Yes, there is a highway that runs through a building in Osaka, but there is nowhere else where passenger trains actually run inside an apartment complex.
• The ultimate tourist meme: You’ve definitely seen the "train-eating" trend! Every day, hundreds of tourists strike a specific pose at the observation deck so that in the photo, it looks like the train is driving right into their open mouths as it passes through the building. It looks hilarious from the outside!
• Engineering magic: The building and the metro station itself have completely independent support systems. Simply put, if they ever decide to demolish the residential building, the Lisiba station will remain standing on its own columns.
• Silence: Do you think living there is a noisy nightmare? Think again! Thanks to the monorail's special pneumatic tires and noise-cancellation system, the sound level in the apartments doesn't exceed 60 dB. That's quieter than your home vacuum cleaner!
• Official recognition: After the location went viral online in 2016-2017, city authorities finally gave in and built a fantastic official viewing platform for fans in 2018.

Essential travel information:

Liziba Station | Why a Train Runs through a House?

Chongqing in China is often called the "mountain city" because it's nestled in hilly and mountainous terrain. If you've ever been to Chongqing, you know it's an 8D city. Here, your GPS might tell you you're on the ground floor, while in reality, you're standing on the roof of a 22-story building. Because of the mountainous landscape and dense urban development, land here is worth its weight in gold.

Back in 1998, a funny situation unfolded: a construction company bought a plot of land on a steep riverbank to build a residential complex, and at that exact same moment, a transport company approved a new monorail route right through that very same plot. Neither side wanted to back down. In the end, the architects just snapped and decided, "Let's combine them!" The design process took a full two years. Floors 1 through 5 are commercial spaces, floors 6 through 8 are the station itself, and floors 9 through 19 are residential apartments. And that’s how our beloved train-through-a-building was born.

How to get to Liziba Station

Navigating Chongqing is a quest in itself, but getting to Liziba is a breeze. You just need Line 2 (the green line).

If you're coming from the city center (for example, from the Jiefangbei Liberation Monument), hop on at Linjiangmen Station and enjoy the views—the line runs right along the Jialing River. The ride takes about 10-15 minutes. If you're looking for the "Chongqing metro through a building" on maps, just type "Liziba Station" into Baidu Maps or Alipay, and the navigator will lead you straight to the turnstiles.

Where to Get the Best Shots of the Train through the House

So, we’ve arrived to get some content! Here is my personal selection of spots where you can get the most fire shots.

📷 How to nail the "eating the train" meme: Stand with your back to the station, feet wide apart, and arms spread out. Your photographer needs to literally lie down on the pavement and shoot from a low angle. As the train starts to emerge from the facade, open your mouth wide — voilà, your viral shot is ready!

The Best Time for Photography

💡 My recommendation: Get here by 10:00 AM. You'll have time to get all your shots in great light, won't have to elbow your way through tour groups, and can calmly continue on with your city itinerary!

Riding in the first car — a first-person perspective

Watching from the outside is cool, but you absolutely have to experience this ride from the inside! Hop into the first car of a train heading toward Jiaochangkou or Yudong stations. Stand right by the front window for a driver's-eye view.

As the train approaches the building, your brain panics a little—it feels like you're about to crash right into the wall. But then, the carriage smoothly dives inside! The ride through the building only takes about 10-15 seconds, so my top tip is: take a video, not a photo. If you don't manage to capture it the first time, just get off at the next stop, cross to the other side of the platform, and ride back in the opposite direction.

1-Day Itinerary Recommendation: Lisiba → Elin Park → Factory → Zoo

To make sure you don't head to this area just for a single photo, I've put together the perfect half-day itinerary for you:

1. 09:30 — Snapping photos of the train through the house from the Lisiba observation deck.
2. 10:30 — Head up (on foot or by taxi) to Eling Park. Stroll along the lush green paths and climb the tower for some incredible panoramic views.
3. 12:30 — We're checking out the Testbed 2 creative cluster (Factory No. 2). It's a former printing plant transformed into a trendy art space filled with hipster coffee shops, graffiti, and Instagrammable boutiques. The perfect spot for lunch!
4. 15:00 — Hop back on Line 2 and head straight to Chongqing Zoo to see the adorable pandas after their afternoon nap.

Is it Worth Making a Special Trip just to See the Train go Through the House?

Let's be honest and weigh all the pros and cons.

Pros:

• This is the only structure of its kind in the world.
• It's completely free, located close to the center, and super easy to get to.
• An incredibly photogenic location (your social media will thank you).
• A great starting point for exploring the Yuzhong district.
• A true symbol of that very "8D Chongqing."

Cons:

• The tour itself takes 30-45 minutes at most.
• During peak hours and national holidays, up to 10,000 tourists can gather here a day—so you're guaranteed a bustling scene.
• It’s not really worth the trip if you’re only coming for one station and skipping the surrounding spots.

My verdict: If you're already in Chongqing, this is a 100% must-see. You simply can't leave without seeing this legendary train going through a building. But is it worth buying plane tickets from the other side of China just for Liziba? Probably not. Think of this location as a bright pearl in the necklace of an amazing itinerary through Chongqing and the surrounding regions!

The world is full of amazing things, and sometimes they look like a green monorail coming right out of someone's bedroom. Travel, be amazed, and don't forget to have your camera ready! Chongqing will definitely steal your heart. ❤️