{"id":434991,"date":"2026-05-22T17:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.railfreight.com\/?p=71291"},"modified":"2026-05-22T17:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T07:58:10","slug":"russia-and-china-agree-to-build-new-cross-border-railway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=434991","title":{"rendered":"Russia and China agree to build new cross-border railway"},"content":{"rendered":"

During Putin\u2019s visit to Beijing, the Russian and Chinese leaders signed an agreement to build a new railway between Zabaikalsk and Manzhouli, two border towns in the Far East. By 2030, the project should grow capacity by 11 million tonnes.<\/strong>
\n<\/span>The rail border crossing between the two towns is a key node for Russia-China trade, but also for trade between China and Europe. It currently features a single line with three tracks, but it will be expanded with another.<\/p>\n

“Today, we are summing up the fruitful cooperation between the transport departments of Russia and China\u201d, commented the Russian transport minister Andrey Nikitin. \u201cAn intergovernmental agreement was signed on the joint construction of a second 1,435-millimetre gauge track on the cross-border section of the Zabaikalsk\u2013Manzhouli railway.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe document confirms our shared commitment to increasing the capacity of this corridor. Its implementation will increase the capacity of the Zabaikalsk checkpoint by 11 million tonnes by 2030, ensuring the exchange of nearly 50 pairs of trains per day\u201d, the minister added.<\/p>\n

Economic reorientation<\/h2>\n

Russia has been redirecting its trade flows towards China following the introduction of Western sanctions. The railways are the most convenient infrastructure for these long-distance trade flows, but have also proven to be a major bottleneck. Capacity increases, such as on the Zabaikalsk-Manzhouli border are therefore a necessity for Moscow to boost its trade potential with China.<\/p>\n