The Harbin-Mudanjiang High-speed Railway, one of the key projects included in Northeast China's fast passenger transportation network, officially commenced operations on Dec 25.

The 293-kilometer line links Harbin, the provincial capital of Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, with Mudanjiang, a city on the Russian border. It will connect to the Russian border areas through Suifenhe port.

The new line has 11 stations, including Harbin, Xinxiangfang north, A’che north, Maoer Mountain, Shangzhi south and Yabuli west.

It only carries passengers and is designed for speeds of around 250 km per hour. Now, the journey time between Harbin and Mudanjiang is only around 1 hour and 28 minutes, down from the previous 4 and a half.

According to the schedule, during the initial operation period, each day a total of 18 round trips will be made, plus one one-way journey. Five trains will serve the railway line each day. To satisfy the demands of traffic during peak times such as national holidays, an additional two trains will run on the line.

The new railway is expected to increase trade and economic activity between China and Russia, as well as help to rejuvenate the old Northeast China industrial base.

Also, the Harbin-Mudanjiang High-speedway Railway will serve as an important ice and snow tourism line as it passes through Heilongjiang’s popular scenic areas, such as Yabuli Ski Resort and Weihu Mountain Studio City.

In addition, Harbin Railway Station, as one of the terminals of the new line, officially reopens on Dec 25, following three years of renovation work.

Work on the station started in March 2017, in a bid to improve the station’s facilities and restore the historical features from when it was first built in 1899.

Harbin railway station consists of the south and north station buildings that are linked by a waiting hall that measures 185 meters long and 112 meters wide. The two station buildings cover an area of around 73,624 square meters, with the capacity to accommodate around 15,000 passengers.

The station also has four service counters, 41 self-service ticket machines, 33 ticket windows, 27 security systems with facial recognition technology, and 48 self-service check-in machines.

To provide better services for passengers, VIP waiting rooms, nursing areas for mothers and babies, and a self-service temporary ID card processing machine have been set up.

Train D8501 bound for Mudanjiang from Harbin pictured at Harbin Railway Station on Dec 25. [Photo/dbw.cn]

A train attendant loads a trolley full of goods onto service D8501 at Harbin Railway Station, Dec 25. [Photo/dbw.cn]

A passenger waves as her train departs for Mudanjiang on the Harbin-Mudanjiang High-speed Railway, Dec 25. [Photo/dbw.cn]