China’s Wushan unveils the world’s longest escalator, The Goddess

China has just added a new record-holder to its mountain infrastructure: the world’s biggest escalator. Stretching for one kilometre, it can take you up a mountain in only twenty minutes.

Completed in early 2026, this engineering feat has the potential to become a major visitor draw. In the mountainous city of Wushan, on the outskirts of Chongqing, officials opened what is being billed as the world’s longest escalator. The installation runs for 906 metres and climbs 244 metres in elevation. Its name? The Goddess.

How the Wushan escalator “The Goddess” is laid out

Timed to coincide with the tourist season, Wushan’s escalator does not rise to the top in one continuous run. Instead, it is made up of roughly twenty escalators and lifts, linked through a large, integrated complex and connected via a single platform.

Schindler’s role and the construction challenge

The entire system was built by Schindler at its factory in China. The Swiss group was already established in the area, having supplied Chongqing’s metro with 1400 escalators.

A technological marvel that makes life easier for residents

Using The Goddess, reaching the summit takes 21 minutes-a journey that can take hours on foot or by car due to traffic. For local people, that time saving is a genuine day-to-day improvement. Access requires an entry ticket costing just under €0.40.

This is described as the largest escalator complex in the world, overtaking the Hong Kong system that measures a little over 800 metres. For Schindler, the build was particularly demanding because of the tight urban layout and the dense network of pipes beneath the site. Speaking to the Financial Times, Huang Wei, a project lead at China Railway Eryuan Engineering, said:

"To my knowledge, there is no similar project nationally, nor one of equal or greater scale than ours that is under construction or already under way. It’s a first."

The escalator has already proved highly popular in China. During the Spring Festival, nearly 450,000 people used it, according to the Financial Times. The same report adds that 9,000 Wushan residents make use of it each day since it opened.

The Goddess is therefore another example of China showcasing its technical capabilities. The country-and Chongqing in particular-has become a “cyberpunk” laboratory, with rapid, vertical urban development reminiscent of Blade Runner. Local media have highlighted the project, and it could become one of the country’s next tourist attractions.