Chinese engineers have set a Guinness World Record after relocating a 30,000-ton bus station using hundreds of hydraulic jacks.
These engineers established the Guinness World Record by moving a 30,000-ton bus station in Xiamen using hundreds of hydraulic jacks and a rail system equipped with rollers.
Specifically, the Haoxi Long-Distance Bus Station is located in the Jimei District of Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. Four years ago, local authorities decided to relocate one of the terminals to make way for a new high-speed rail project. After considering various options, the engineers concluded that the best solution was to rotate the main terminal of the bus station by 90 degrees, using one of its narrow edges as the pivot point. Meanwhile, the far edge of the terminal needed to be moved approximately 288 meters.
The bus station rotated 90 degrees to move to its new location.
Of course, executing this task with a structure weighing 30,000 tons, equivalent to 170 Boeing 737 passenger planes, is no small feat. To accomplish what seemed impossible, the Chinese engineers utilized a rail system equipped with rollers, allowing the main terminal of the bus station to move in the predetermined rotational direction. Simultaneously, they employed 532 powerful hydraulic jacks capable of lifting the structure off the ground and maintaining it throughout the relocation process.
At that time, the local newspaper Haixi Morning Post reported that the team used special hydraulic jacks that could automatically move forward, carrying the main bus terminal.
To minimize the risk of human error, the engineers divided the hundreds of hydraulic jacks into two groups, each controlled by a computer. The two groups of jacks worked alternately, with one group lifting the structure and “stepping” forward before the second group replicated the same motion. This created a visual illusion that made it seem as though the bus station was “walking.”
Timelapse of the 30,000-ton bus station moving 288m over 40 days.
The hydraulic jacks operated continuously, moving the 30,000-ton bus station approximately 20 meters each day. In total, the engineering team took 40 days to relocate the bus station’s structure to its new position, setting a new Guinness World Record. A timelapse video of this relocation process has gone viral on social media over the past four years, garnering millions of views.
Interestingly, the construction of the Haoxi Long-Distance Bus Station in 2015 reportedly cost around $39 million, while the relocation to its new position cost approximately $7.5 million.
