Freight traffic through new rail bridge growing since opening, Moscow says
The volume of cargo transported via a new railway bridge over the Amur River linking Russia and China exceeded 540,000 tonnes in the first four months of its operation, according to the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
” Since [bridge’s] launch in November 2022, traffic has more than quintupled, with more than 130 trains crossing the bridge” RDIF said in a statement on Tuesday.
He noted that the checkpoints on the bridge will be put into 24-hour operation in the next two months due to increased freight traffic, with the frequency of trains expected to double.
The construction of the very first railway bridge between the two countries officially began in 2016, after 28 years of negotiations. The RDIF financed more than 70% of the construction of the Russian section.
The total length of the new road and associated infrastructure is 19.9 kilometers. About 6.5 km of the bridge and road junctions pass through China, and the remaining 13.5 km are located in Russia.
The highway section of the Amur River Bridge was completed in 2019. Russia exports iron ore, coal, fertilizer, timber and other goods through the link to China, which offers a much more direct route than the alternatives.
Trade between Russia and China grew by almost a third in 2022, reaching $185 billion, making Moscow the leader among China’s 20 largest partners in terms of trade growth. The two countries are on course to reach $200 billion in trade this year.
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