Time intervals for ships transporting passengers between the two sides of the Songhua River will be shortened to around 20 minutes, thanks to reform of issues arising from operations of Harbin Municipal Ferry Tourism Co and Daqiao Ferry Co.

In the past, the two companies operated on the same routes, resulting in competition for customers at peak commuting times. Two ships might have departed ports at the same time, while at other times there might have been no ship serving a given route, meaning waiting times were extended to 40 minutes.

Ship routes and shipping schedules on the Songhua River will be re-planned and adjusted to solve the problems.

Currently, Harbin Municipal Ferry Tourism Co has 13 ships running three cross-river routes to Jiuzhan, Sun Island, Qidao Street in Daowai district and Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology.

Daqiao Ferry Co has one route running between Jiuzhan and Sun Island.

The new merged ferry company will have more ships and crews, which is expected to improve service quality and open more routes. Residents can also board using their city traffic card.

In addition to cross-river routes, Harbin has already opened a new travel route from Jiuzhan to Dadingzi Mountain this year. A Tongjiang Street-Hulan Hekou Wetland route, as well as a Tongjiang Street night travel route, will also soon be opened.