Trans-Siberian Binsui Railway
Train K1452 on the Binsui Railway along the Hailang River near Hailin
Overview
Native name	滨绥铁路 (Bīnsuí Tiělù)
Status	Operational
Owner	Chinese Eastern Railway (1901–1932) North Manchuria Railway (1932–1935) Manchukuo National Railway (1935–1945) China Changchun Railway (1945–1955) China Railway (since 1955)
Locale	Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia
Termini	Harbin Manzhouli
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Regional rail
History
Opened	14 November 1901
Technical
Line length	548 km (341 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Old gauge	1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) Russian gauge
Electrification	25 kV 50 Hz AC Overhead lines Harbin-Suifinhe Section
Route map  Binzhou Railway  Binbei Railway 0 Harbin  Jingha Railway 5 Wangzhaotun 7 Xiangfang  Labin Railway  Binbei Railway  Sankeshu Railway (zh), Sunxin Connecting Line 14 New Xiangfang  Chengbin Railway (zh) 20 Chenggaozi 30 Shelitun 41 Acheng Hongfangzihuirang Closed 52 Yagou 62 Yuquan 68 Baimaozi pax only 73 Bailing 79 Xiaoling 84 Xiaopingshan 89 Pingshan 95 East Pingshan 100 Maorshan 110 Mifeng 122 Xiaojiu 131 Wujimi 141 Shangzhi 151 Mayan 161 Yimianpo 169 Jiujiangpao 181 Wanshan 192 Weihe  Weiya Railway (zh)  Weilin Railway 202 Qingyun 212 Yabuli  Yalin Railway (zh) Xinxing Closed Old line closed 1993 226 Shitouhezi Closed 229 Yuchi 234 Lengshan Closed 240 Kaidao Xima Closed 248 Gaolingzi Closed 249 Hufeng 252 Ducao Fenlinghe Closed Ducao Tunnel 3.9 km (2.4 mi) 261 Zhishan 272 Hengdaohezi 282 Daolin 294 Qinglingzi 304 Shanshi 314 Qifeng 323 Aotou  Huolonggou Railway (zh:火龙沟铁路) 333 Hailin 343 Lagu 349 Huanghua Closed Ningbei  Hamu PDR (zh)  Mutu Railway (zh)  Tujia Railway (zh) 355 Mudanjiang  Tujia Railway (zh)  Mujia Railway (zh)  Mujia PDR (zh) 362 Aihe 378 Modaoshi 382 Shandi Closed 391 Daguanling Closed 396 Shandong Closed 404 Daimagou Closed 417 Beilin Closed 430 Muling Closed 443 New Muling 453 Xiachengzi Closed  Chengji Railway (zh) 462 Maqiaohe Closed 475 Hongfangzi Closed 485 Tailing Closed 501 Xilinhe 511 Suixi Closed 523 Suiyang 541 Kuangou Closed 548 Suifenhe China–Russia border  Far Eastern Railway (Russian Railways)

Freight train carrying coal on the Harbin–Suifenhe railway near the Yuquan Station in Harbin

The Trans-Siberian Harbin–Suifenhe railway, named the Binsui Railway (simplified Chinese: 滨绥铁路; traditional Chinese: 濱綏鐵路; pinyin: bīnsuí tiělù), is a double-track electrified trunk railway in Northeast China between Harbin and Suifenhe on the Russian border. The line was originally built by Russia as the eastern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway, which linked Chita with Vladivostok. Today, the 548 km (341 mi) railway is administered by Harbin Railway Bureau.

History

Initial construction of the Binsui Railway as a Russian gauge line of the Sino-Russian Chinese Eastern Railway started on 9 June 1898 at the two termini of the line, Harbin in China and Ussuriysk in Russia. The partially built line was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion between March and July 1900, causing the project to be suspended. Construction resumed in October, and on 14 November 1901 operation on a temporary basis was started. Official opening of the line took place on 14 July 1903.

After the creation of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo in 1932, the CER became a Soviet-Manchukuo joint enterprise, and was renamed the "North Manchuria Railway". In March 1935, the government of Manchukuo purchased the Soviet share of the NMR, and merged it into the Manchukuo National Railway, and on 17 June 1936, work to convert the line, known during that time as the Binsui Line (Hinsui Line in Japanese), from Russian broad gauge to standard gauge was completed. The MNR double tracked the line as far as Yimianpo in 1939, and relaid the line with heavier rail in 1942.

The MNR began construction of the original Ducao Tunnel in July 1937, opening the new, shorter line on 31 July 1942. At 3,849 m (12,628 ft), it was China's longest railway tunnel. To expand the capacity of the line, China Railway decided to build a second tunnel, 3,900 m (12,800 ft) in length, in 1961, but construction was suspended a year later. Work resumed on 1 May 1975, and was completed by the end of 1978. Refurbishment of the original tunnel began in September 1985 and was completed on 21 December 1988.

After the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in 1945, the Soviet Army converted the line back to Russian broad gauge. In 1946, it was converted back to standard gauge once again, and the double tracking was removed; the rails taken up were used to repair other lines.^[1] Between 1945 and 1955, the railways in the territory of the former Manchukuo were controlled by the Sino-Soviet China Changchun Railway, after which the railways of the region were taken over by China Railways; the Binsui Line then reverted to its original name, Binsui Railway. The double tracking of the section from Harbin to Mudanjiang was rebuilt by China Railways in 1958. Electrification of the line began in 2010, and the first section, from Mudanjiang to Suifenhe, was completed on 28 December 2015. Wiring of the Harbin–Mudanjiang section began in April 2016.^[2] Passenger traffic on the line has increased to 2.3 million passengers annually.^[3]

Route

References