The Chinese city of Chongqing has very dense buildings, so engineers sometimes have to make unusual decisions to implement new architectural projects.
Thus, during the construction of the monorail, a 19-story residential building stood in the way of the architects, which could not be demolished or bypassed.
The designers made an extreme decision: to build a railway directly through the building, between the 7th and 8th floors. There is also a 150-meter-long platform and a stop for passengers.
It would seem that such close proximity to the railway should cause residents a lot of trouble. But they claim that the roar of trains can be compared to the noise of a washing machine.
It is not surprising that the high-rise has become a landmark of Chongqing. The price per square meter has also increased - now housing here is the most expensive in the area. Many people dream of living next to the metro; who would refuse the opportunity to get off the train and immediately find themselves at home?
Japanese specialists came to the aid of Chinese architects. They have experience in similar construction - in Osaka they built an elevated expressway through a 16-story building.
In 1983, the land owners decided to redevelop the property, but city officials prohibited changes to the approved road construction plan. However, the owners found a compromise with the company building the highway. As a result, the road ran between the 4th and 8th floors of the high-rise building. A special structure around the highway protects the house from vibrations and noise.
The Chinese are literally no stranger to finding workarounds when building roads. In the city of Wenling in Zhejiang Province, a road had to be built through a densely populated area. Almost all the owners whose houses interfered with construction agreed to be relocated. Only one family prevented the government from demolishing their home. The end result was a house in the middle of the road.
Sources: http://www.novate.ru/; picslife.ru
8 trains that pass through the most unusual places.
Most people are used to what a classic railroad looks like. But in fact, as it turns out, there may be options. There are places where railroad tracks pass right under the windows of houses, along the surface of the sea, and even along the runway. And this is not a complete list of automotive unusual things.
1. Train passing through the Bloomer cut
California, USA
When the railroad was first planned to be built near Obernai, California (in the early 1860s), it seemed impossible because it would have required a 100-foot-tall, 150-foot-long wooden trestle across a deep ravine, as well as a “cut through the track.” 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 running through the hill has still been preserved.
2. A train passing through a residential building
China
Due to the unique topography and high density of Chongqing, one of the most populous cities in China, architects and city 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 directly through a 19-story residential building. The city is surrounded from the north, east and south by the Daba, Wushan, Wulin and Dalu mountains, and most of the city area essentially lies on the mountain slopes.
This, coupled with the lack of available space due to the high density of housing (population is approximately 49 million), has meant that infrastructure development has become a real problem. In 2004, during the continuation of the monorail line, the authorities faced a problem: either demolish the entire residential building and make room for the monorail, or make a tunnel directly through the house. As a result, the second option was chosen.
3. A train passing along a narrow street
Vietnam
Almost always, when approaching a railway, there are special signals and barriers that warn passers-by and drivers about approaching trains. However, what to do 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 old quarter of the city, people live and work side by side with railway tracks that pass literally a meter from the walls of houses. Shops here close while the train passes.
4. Train passing on top of a 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 crossing impossible.
The crossing took about six hours, and in unfavorable weather and tidal conditions 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. Project of a 21,000-kilometer railway from China to the USA
China/Russia/Canada/USA
China plans to build an ambitious 21,000-kilometer railway line to bring 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 railway line would start in China, pass through Siberia, under the Bering Strait, through Alaska and Canada, and end in the United States. The Chinese hope that trains on this line will be able to reach speeds of 350 km/h, which will allow passengers to travel from China to the United States in less than two days.
6. The world's longest railway tunnel
UK/France
The world's longest and deepest railway tunnel was officially opened in Switzerland in 2016, after two decades of construction work. The 57-kilometre 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 is the 50.5-kilometer Eurotunnel linking the UK and France under the English Channel.
7. Train passing on 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 vary the height of 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 outskirts of Gisborne in New Zealand. This is one of the few airports in the world where you can see a railway line crossing the runway. Here trains stop in front of the airport when planes take off and land. Vineyard Airport in Tasmania also had a level crossing on its runway, but due to the near decline of rail services there, the route was closed in early 2005.
In a Chinese metropolis Chongqing extremely dense buildings make it almost impossible to implement new architectural or engineering projects. Therefore, designers sometimes have to make rather extreme decisions. So, in one of the city districts 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, which is why it is nicknamed “Mountain City”. In addition, there is very dense construction there. 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 was impossible to go around or demolish, the designers came up with a brilliant solution: build a railway through the building. The monorail passes through the opening between the 7th and 8th floors. A stop for passengers was also installed there.
The constructed tunnel is in contact with the walls of the apartments. Many people are interested in the question: are the residents of the house bothered by the roar from the train? The developers claim that the noise (60 decibels) from a train passing through the house causes people as much disturbance as someone else's conversation at the next table in a restaurant.
According to the developers, building a monorail on this site was a risky business, but it more than paid off.
A train passing through a residential building is not the most original thing the Chinese could come up with. Opened in Hubei Province last year
The metro station is located in the building itself. No noise, no powerful vibration - apartment owners do not regret their choice. And the high-rise has become a new attraction.
The urban landscape looks like it's from the future. In Chongqing, China, a subway train seems to be flying straight through high-rise buildings. The transport solution is, to put it mildly, non-standard. Although it couldn’t be otherwise here.
It would seem, what kind of metro is there? There are no conditions: on one side there is a big river, on the other there are steep hills. But you can’t go underground because of the nature of the soil. In addition, there is very dense construction 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 a station right inside a residential building.
The monorail platform is 150 meters long on the eighth floor of a 19-story building. The house was designed taking into account the station in it. Japanese engineers were even invited to help with this unprecedented project. After all, they also have little space in their country; in Osaka, for example, they built a city highway through a high-rise building. 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 a regular metro are metal, then the monorail has rubber wheels; there is practically no sound from their contact with the tracks. In addition, we developed a special structure design in which the upper building is separated from the monorail system, although from the outside they appear to be a single structure,” says Ye Hong, the station’s project architect.
“There were doubts, we were afraid that there would be a roar. Nobody believed in the builders' persuasion, so the apartments were very cheap at first. We took advantage of this and were not disappointed!” - the owner of one of the apartments, Li Xuan, rejoices.
Now the price per square meter in this house is the highest in the area. What previously scared off buyers now attracts them. Isn’t this the dream of a metropolitan resident - he got off the subway and is already home!
“There’s very little vacant property there right now. Despite the price, apartments still do not stay in our database. Moreover, buyers are of all ages,” says realtor Ma Gan.
These girls rent an apartment for two right above the station. Both often stay late at work. They say it’s also safe to live here, because you don’t have to walk home through dark streets.
“We don’t worry about each other, you always know exactly when you’ll return home,” says one of the girls.
“Yes, very comfortable and quiet. Besides, everyone in the city knows this house,” adds another.
“I just arrived in the city yesterday. And today the first thing I come here is to look at this amazing structure!” - says the tourist.
“It’s not so much beautiful as it is interesting in terms of architectural design!” - notes a tourist, a student of the Faculty of Architecture.
This is not an ancient building; there are no memorial plaques or sculptures on the facade. And this address cannot be found in the guidebook yet. But there are tourists around the house at every turn. A similar project - a station in a building - was tried on both Shanghai and Hong Kong. But this house is still the only one like it in the whole world!
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 Liziba station, which occupies two floors of the building - the seventh and eighth. 
The monorail line is built to pass through an opening in a 19-story residential building. The nearest walls of the apartments are in contact with the tunnel, and the distance to the side and bottom windows does not reach even a meter. 
Although locals live almost at a busy station, the noise from the trains is suppressed by special equipment. The Daily Mail claims that the sound is no more disturbing to residents than a running dishwasher, but according to other sources, people complain about the noise and headaches. This decision is the result of a compromise: thanks to it, it became possible not to demolish the entire building for the sake of a new monorail line. A spokesman for the city's transport department said: "Our city is very densely built up and finding space for new roads is becoming a challenge." 
The city of Chongqing in southeastern China is home to 49 million people on an area of 80 thousand square kilometers - an area that can fit twice the Netherlands (for comparison, Moscow, with a population of 12 million, occupies 2,500 square kilometers). In such a situation, city planners have to be creative in how they allocate space. 
Chongqing is the largest of the four central cities in China, located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialingjiang rivers. It is called the Mountain City due to its steep hilly terrain.