The Railway Bureau of Harbin province reports the shipment of more than 5,000 tons of grain, machines and tools, clothing and seafood via one railway since it went into operation in mid-October, with a total of 10 trains using the route.

The new line connects regional hubs in Northeast China -- such as Harbin in Heilongjiang province, Changchun in Jilin province, and Shenyang and Dalian in Liaoning province, with the eastern part of Inner Mongolia. The daily freight service has regular schedules with a top speed of 120 km/hr. And thanks to its not being bothered by bad weather and its on-time service, shrimp and crabs from the coastal city of Dalian can arrive in Harbin in 12 hours at the most.

The line also cuts travel time between Harbin and Dalian to about 17 hours on average, instead of the previous 3 - 4 days, and Harbin’s Yongsheng Wanxing Logistics Co says that the freight service also comes at a lower cost.

Zhang Yunsheng, the company’s GM, says the cost of moving, say, 20 tons of seafood from Dalian to Harbin is only about 3,500 yuan ($550), whereas the cost by road is around 7,000 yuan.

Yang Wenyan, the GM of another Harbin logistics company, says that the railway helps ensure punctual delivery with “point-to-point” service by a local railway and that the train will increase trade between cities along the route and allow greater opening-up to Japan, South Korea, and even Europe.