Screenshot of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian sharing a video of Chongqing's monorail automatically switching tracks. (Photo/X)
Chongqing - Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian shared a video on the X on August 17, showcasing Chongqing’s monorail automatically switching tracks.
"Watch Chongqing's light rail switch tracks by itself with seamless precision — so smooth and steady!" Lin wrote. The train glides along in the video as the turnout changes automatically, requiring no human intervention. The display, likened to a "surgical operation" in precision, drew widespread attention from international audiences.
Chongqing’s monorail has long been attracting global interest. In early 2024, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also praised China's trains and infrastructure on the X.
A key element of this technology is the monorail turnout, a track-connecting device that allows trains to move from one track to another. By switching tracks, trains can reverse direction, effectively turning the front into the rear and vice versa.
The track-switching scene shared by Lin was filmed at Bijin Station on Chongqing Monorail Line 3. Since 2016, the station has used a sliding crossover turnout, handling around 200 switches daily.
The turnout consists of four straight beams and two curved beams, supported by trolleys and powered by four 7.5 kW motors. Each set weighs up to 120 tons. The beams slide quickly and align precisely, with connection errors within 3 millimeters, allowing trains to switch tracks smoothly. The sliding distance of the turnout is 4.25 meters, and trains pass at speeds of up to 30 km/h, completing the switch in under 30 seconds.
Similar setups can also be seen at Chongqing's Sigongli, Jiugongli, and Yudong stations.
A monorail line 2 train passes through jacaranda flowers in Chongqing. (Photo/Li Yuheng)
From imported technology to full domestic production
Chongqing opened its first rail line, monorail line 2, in 2004. At the time, straddle-type monorail technology was new to China, and most of the technology and equipment—including track beams and turnouts—were imported and built to foreign standards.
To break foreign monopolies and develop a domestic monorail industry, Chongqing Rail Transit Operation Co., Ltd. assembled a team of experts to jointly research turnouts. Its technical team seized every learning opportunity, consulting the experts and seeking their advice. Under experts' guidance, the team collected extensive measurement, comparison, and drawing data, continuously experimenting and refining their methods, and ultimately compiled China's first manual for monorail turnout maintenance and repair.
After years of research and development, the team completed more than 20 technological innovations and technical projects, achieving full domestic production and 95% localization. Today, Line 3, spanning 67 kilometers and carrying over one million passenger trips daily, is the world’s longest single-line straddle monorail by operational length and the busiest by daily ridership.
Fast development
Today, Chongqing City Transportation Development and Investment Group, the parent company of Chongqing Rail Transit Operation Co., Ltd., has mastered three core straddle-type monorail technologies—bogies, track beams, and turnouts. The city has also built the world's first national monorail technology standard system, releasing five national, industry, and local standards.
Meanwhile, Chongqing's monorail technology is also going global, with new contracts in 2024 exceeding 4.2 billion yuan ($585.03 million). It now provides products and services to Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Algeria. In June, Chongqing City Transportation Development and Investment Group signed an agreement with Vietnam's Hanoi to share proven monorail technologies and practices.
Beyond engineering, the monorail has become a cultural and tourism icon. Highlights include Liziba Station, where trains pass through a residential building; the Fotuguan section, where visitors can see the "Train to Spring"; and the latest panda-themed trains, which have charmed visitors from home and abroad.