Far Eastern railway: Russia and China discuss new railway routes
Russia is expanding existing railway crossings to China, and the construction of new highways is also being discussed, Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov told Izvestia. According to Chinese media, a tender is currently underway for the design of a line between Heihe and Blagoveshchensk. In 2026, the trade turnover between the two countries reached a record level. New railway tracks will further increase this figure, experts are sure.
Expansion of routes between Russia and China
China has become Russia's main commercial partner, replacing the EU. The volume of bilateral trade from January to July 2026 reached a record $159 billion, an increase of 26% compared to last year. This was announced in August by Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui. Such rapid growth requires the expansion of transport infrastructure.
— There are four railway crossings with China, all working efficiently. All the actions we are taking are to expand in existing areas, although new ones are also being discussed," Oleg Belozerov, General Director and Chairman of the Management Board of Russian Railways, told Izvestia at the WEF.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the People's Assembly House in Beijing during the signing ceremony of documents on cooperation between Russia and China, May 20.
During Vladimir Putin's state visit in May, Moscow and Beijing set a goal: to bring mutual trade turnover to $300 billion by 2030. And this task is being fulfilled, Belozerov emphasized.
— The volume of transportation with China is growing. And this year there will be a record again in rail transportation," said the head of Russian Railways.
Back in 2019, during the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Russia, the parties set a strategic goal to reach the target of $200 billion by 2024. The countries overcame this indicator ahead of schedule: by the end of 2023, the trade turnover exceeded $240 billion.
The new goal of $300 billion by 2030 is achievable, said Zhou Lijun, chairman of the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia. Companies from China are actively bringing construction machinery, auto parts and electromechanical products to the Russian market. Russia, for its part, sends large volumes of energy resources, minerals and agricultural goods to China. This confidence is shared by the leadership of the Russian Federation. Speaking at the WEF in Vladivostok on September 2, Vladimir Putin separately confirmed that the dynamics of trade turnover with China in 2026 would set the country on another historical record.
Overland transportation of goods plays an important role in this. Four border crossings provide a growing cargo flow today. The largest of them is Zabaikalsk — Manchuria, which receives more than half of the overland cargo. The historical branch of the Grodno—Suifenhe CER operates in Primorsky Krai, focused on the export of Russian raw materials to the northeastern provinces of China. Another coastal corridor, Kamyshovaya — Hunchun, specializes in the export of coal and energy resources. The fourth point is Nizhneleninskoye — Tongjiang in the Jewish Autonomous Region. This newest crossing over the Amur River was opened at the end of 2022 specifically for unloading the Trans-Siberian Railway.
Railway routes are critically important because of speed and safety. Shipping a container from central China to the European part of Russia by sea takes 30-45 days, and by rail — only 10-14. Land logistics is protected from sanctions pressure and the arrest of ships from unfriendly countries, so it is now being actively expanded. In particular, the authorities of the Chinese province of Heilongjiang have announced a tender for the development of a feasibility study for a new railway line. According to the South China Morning Post, this route is supposed to connect Heihe with Blagoveshchensk.
Currently, the cities are connected by a road bridge, the annual cargo turnover of which in 2026 reaches 1-1.5 million tons, as well as by river transport. However, both routes are highly dependent on weather conditions, seasonality, and queues at the border. The railway will make it possible to remove these restrictions, ensuring a massive and continuous flow of goods around the clock.
Why is the new railway route between the two countries so important
The appearance of the fifth corridor will increase the total throughput by 15-20% and accelerate the delivery of goods deep into both countries, said Viktor Pirozhenko, an expert at the Intercultural Research Center at Huzhou University. According to him, with mutual interest and stable financing, the new line will be built in three to four years. The main incentive for this is the accelerated industrialization of the Far East, which will ensure oncoming cargo flows.
Giant processing facilities are currently being launched in the Amur Region and neighboring regions. The gas processing plant and the gas chemical complex under construction will process gas into polyethylene and polypropylene, which China requires in large volumes. At the same time, large enterprises for processing soybeans and wood are being created in the Russian region. All these plants will produce finished products, including for supplies to China.
The new project will also help develop the republic's border areas, Pirozhenko added. Now residents of northern China are moving to more developed southern regions, where modern high-capacity industries operate. The Chinese created an industrial zone in the north of the country back in the 1950s with the help of the Soviet Union. Today, this industry is outdated, so Beijing is reorienting provinces to new industries, including tourism. The new route is also necessary because the huge trade turnover has overloaded the existing routes, the expert concluded.
What challenges can the project face?
According to Dmitry Baranov, a leading expert at Finam Management Management Company, builders will have to work in difficult natural and climatic conditions: permafrost, floods on the Amur River and swampy lands can interfere. The difficult climate, remoteness of the area and weak supporting infrastructure can increase the cost of every kilometer of the route, delay deadlines and require special engineering solutions.
The situation is complicated by a possible shortage in the Far East of specialized contractors and sophisticated equipment for work in permafrost — this shortage risks becoming a bottleneck of the project. Therefore, builders must set up bases in advance, build access roads and deliver materials. Without this, costs and deadlines will increase significantly, Baranov concluded.
Nevertheless, the experience of building the most complex facilities in the Far East proves the ability of Russian engineers to solve such problems. The emergence of the fifth railway corridor will create a powerful impetus for the development of the entire Amur Region, attract new investments in the region's processing plants and provide Russian producers with direct, fast and safe access to Asian markets.
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