China’s deserted subway stations transform ‘ghost cities’

In the late 2000s, a series of surreal images from China went viral. The images showed gleaming new subway stations - complete with escalators, turnstiles, neon-lit entrances - standing alone in vast, empty fields.

At the time, many Western observers mocked them as symbols of over-planning and waste. But now those deserted sites are completely transformed.

As shown in a recent viral video, those lonely stations are now surrounded by high-rise apartments, busy roads and thriving neighborhoods. China built transportation not to serve existing cities but to create them, as is shown in this video...

China’s one-party system allowed the government to take a long-term approach, building public transportation links first and using them as anchors to attract residents, businesses and investment. For years, these stations sat empty but they’re now bustling hubs of activity.

Public transport planning helps transform isolated areas

One of the best-known examples is Caojiawan Station in Chongqing. Initially ridiculed for its isolated location, it is now at the center of a dense residential area filled with shops and apartment complexes. Similar stories have unfolded in Lanzhou New Area and Xiong’an, both of which transformed from so-called “ghost towns” into vibrant urban centers.

China’s aggressive subway expansion wasn’t without challenges. The massive infrastructure projects left some local governments heavily indebted and critics argued that many systems were being built faster than demand justified.

Operational issues also emerged. Some early stations had single entrances, long transfer corridors and congested lines lacking express routes. The Zhengzhou floods in 2021 exposed additional weaknesses, underscoring the need for better safety standards and drainage systems.

However the long-term payoff is now clear. What began as a controversial experiment has become a masterstroke in urban planning. Those once-empty subway entrances are now the beating hearts of modern Chinese cities.

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