Russia-China first railway bridge near completion

The 2,200-meter facility will be the first railway bridge to connect the 2 countries.

The construction which initiated in 2014, will link Tongjiang city in China with Nizhneleninskoye in Russia. The Russian part recently installed the final steel beam into its section of the facility while China had completed its part in October 2018. 

“On the morning of March 20, the last steel beam was built in, with Russia completing construction works from its part. This means the first railway bridge between the two countries is generally successfully connected,” Heilongjiang province’s administration stated. The bridge is going to be fully completed by July, 2019.

Until today, Chinese and Russian borders did not have a cross-river railway bridge. The project's purpose is to link Russia’s Siberian railway tracks with China's northeastern railway networks. It will serve as a transportation channel that will carry about 21 million tons of products per year.

The 2 countries negotiated for about 28 years before the construction began. Russia is planning to export coal, iron ore, mineral fertilizers and other products using this connection with China.

“The shipping capacities between the two sides will be greatly enhanced as they will no longer be affected by seasonal weather conditions, which often have an impact on river shipping,” a chief engineer of China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group, Li Huachao, commented.

The railway is expected to be used by more than 1.5 million people annually.

Sources: Themoscowtimes.com, RT.com

For more information about the bridge's history, click the link below: