A laboratory trailer that runs on Harbin-Qiqihar High-Speed Railway starts from Harbin North Railway Station in Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang province, on May 23. [Photo/my399.com]

The Harbin-Qiqihar high-speed rail in Heilongjiang province will start its trial operation in July and formally open in August after the ongoing equipment testing and commissioning phase starting on May 23.

The rail line, which connects two alpine railway stations in the region with extremely low temperatures in the northernmost part of the country —Harbin North and Qiqihar South, will extend China’s high-speed train network northwards for 281km.

The railway will be linked to Harbin-Dalian route, a 921-km line with 23 stops and connecting Harbin and the port city of Dalian, Northeast China’s Liaoning province.

It is the first intercity train in Heilongjiang province and will also serve as a main railway for cities in Heilongjiang province and its neighboring provinces.

The ongoing testing and commissioning will last for more than a month. A laboratory trailer runs between Harbin and Qiqihar will find out any problems on communication, power supply, and signals under a planned speed.

The data collected by the trailer will help constructors to make correction for errors as soon as possible.　

Construction of the 281-km Harbin-Qiqihar railway began on Nov 30, 2009 and the total investment was about 32.39 billion yuan ($5.20 billion).

The bullet train passes through eight stops in between, which are Harbin North, Zhaodong, Anda, Daqing East, Daqing West, Taikang, Hongqiying East and Qiqihar South.