Blog Post

The 5 Tallest Lifts in the World

ADL Lift Services • Feb 23, 2022
Lift mechanism

Most lifts take you several levels to the floor you need to be on. It can be surprising to see a lift that travels thousands of metres, but they do exist. Today, we’re looking at the top five highest lifts in the world.


5. Bailong Elevator – China

The world’s tallest outdoor lift stretches 326 metres up the side of a cliff in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan, China. Designed to take tourists to the top of a tall karst, the lift features three cars which have two levels each. Each car carries 46 people at a time and the trip up to the top takes just under two minutes. Since the cars are glass, you get an impressive view as you rise up through incredible scenery.


4. Burj Khalifa – Abu Dhabi

The lift inside this massive building, which stands as the world’s tallest completed building at this point, covers an awe-inspiring 163 storeys, or 504 metres. It moves at 35 km/h, which is far less than others, but allows you to experience the city from the air.


3. Taipei 101 – Taiwan

This impressive lift is often referred to as the “Ferrari” of elevators. It whips passengers 84 storeys in just 37 seconds. That’s over 60 km/h. There are actually two of these elevators that take you from the fifth floor to the top of the tower where you can see the entire city. The tower has earned the prestige of being the world’s tallest sundial and the world’s largest New Year’s Eve countdown clock. It stands out over the city and is certainly a landmark.


2. Shanghai Tower – China

Standing at 578.5 metres, this high-speed lift is installed in the Shanghai Tower Unit FR/FLH1 and 2 in the city of Shanghai, China. It was built in 2015 and started operations in 2016. The tower itself has 127 floors and the lift covers 124 of them. Designed by Mitsubishi, the NexWay elevator is considered to be an engineering feat of speed and efficiency.


1. AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng Gold Mine – South Africa

This incredible lift isn’t just the tallest in the world, it’s also one of the fastest. In just three minutes, it takes around 120 workers 2,283 metres into the depths of the earth. This lift was built in 1986 and features three level cages that hurtle up and down at speeds of roughly 65 km/h.

While you probably aren’t going for the world’s tallest lifts in your own building, you can see that they do need to be built with precision and care. At ADL Lift Services, we design your lift to suit your needs perfectly. Contact us today for more information.

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