First China-Russia cross-river railway bridge completed

With the last set of rail cleats installed, the Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye Railway Bridge, the first cross-river railroad bridge between China and Russia, was successfully completed on Tuesday, paving the way for its official opening to traffic.

Workers install the last set of rail cleats of the China-Russia Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye Railway Bridge on August 17, 2021. 

The bridge spans 7,194 meters, and is designed for the speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour and annual throughput capacity of 21 million tons. It will link the city of Tongjiang in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province with Nizhneleninskoye in Russia. 

A view of the railway bridge connecting China with Russia

After the bridge is opened to traffic, the railway distance from Heilongjiang to Moscow via Tongjiang will be shortened by 809 kilometers, with a saving of 10 hours’ travel time. It will greatly alleviate the pressure on Manzhouli and Suifenhe ports, two land ports on the China-Russia border, and promote the high-quality development of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation by providing a new trade route, especially for bulk commodity trade.

The Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye Railway, a project under the Belt and Road Initiative, makes it possible to connect China’s railway network with the railways in Russia, which will greatly deepen the bilateral economic and trade cooperation and promote scientific and cultural exchanges between the two countries.