Harbin–Suifenhe railway

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.

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

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. 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. Passenger traffic on the line has increased to 2.3 million passengers annually.

Route

Distance		Station name
Total; km	S2S; km	Current name	Former name	Year opened	Connections
0	0	Harbin 哈尔滨	Songhuajiang 松花江	1899	Binbei Railway, Jingha Railway, Binzhou Railway, Binbei Railway
5	5	Wangzhaotun 王兆屯	Muchaichang 木柴厂	1899
7	2	Xiangfang 香坊	Harbin 哈尔滨, Харбин (1898–1904) Old Harbin 老哈尔滨 (1904–1924)	1898	Labin Railway
14	7	New Xiangfang 新香坊		1937	Sunxin Connecting Line, Sankeshu Railway (zh)
20	6	Chenggaozi 成高子			Chengbin Railway (zh)
30	10	Shelitun 舍利屯	Cheng 程
41	11	Acheng 阿城	Ashenhe 阿什河	1901
		Hongfangzihuirang 红房子会让			Closed
52	11	Yagou 亚沟	Taiyagou 太亚沟
62	10	Yuquan 玉泉	Ercengdianzi 二层甸子	1899
68	6	Baimaozi 白帽子	Shihuiyao 石灰窑		(passenger only)
73	5	Bailing 白岭
79	6	Xiaoling 小岭
84	5	Xiaopingshan 小平山
89	5	Pingshan 平山		1899
95	6	East Pingshan 东平山
100	5	Maorshan 帽儿山
110	10	Mifeng 蜜蜂	Mishan 蜜山	1899
122	12	Xiaojiu 小九		1899
131	9	Wujimi 乌吉密		1899
141	10	Shangzhi 尚志	Zhuhe 珠河	1899
151	10	Mayan 马延	Yakuni 亚库尼	1899
161	10	Yimianpo 一面坡		1899
169	8	Jiujiangpao 九江泡	Lukashevo (Лукашево) Luketuwo (鲁克土窝)	1901
181	12	Wanshan 万山	Samokhvalov (Самохвалов) Samohawaluofu (萨莫哈瓦洛)	1899
192	11	Weihe 苇河		1899	Weiya Railway (zh), Weilin Railway
202	10	Qingyun 青云	Kazantsevo (Казанцево) Kazancaiwo (喀赞才窝)	1899
212	10	Yabuli 亚布力	Yabloni (Яблони) Yabuluoni (亚布洛尼)	1899	Yalin Railway (zh)
		Xinxing 新兴
226	14	Shitouhezi 石头河子	Reko-Ridzh (Реко-Ридж) Liangziling (亮子岭)	1901	Closed 1993
229	17	Yuchi 鱼池
234	5	Lengshan 冷山	Liudaohezi 六道河子	1900	Closed 1993
240	11	Kaidao 开道
		Xima 洗马			Closed 1993
248		Gaolingzi 高岭子		1900	Closed 1993
249	9	Hufeng 虎峰
252	3	Ducao 杜草		1940
		Fenlinghe 分岭河			Closed 1993
261	9	Zhishan 治山	Salahe 萨拉河	1900
272	11	Hengdaohezi 横道河子		1900
282	10	Daolin 道林	Sandaowoji 三道窝集	1901
294	12	Qinglingzi 青岭子	Changlingzi 长岭子	1901
304	10	Shanshi 山市	Shanshi 山石	1901
314	10	Qifeng 奇峰	Shihe 石河	1901
323	9	Aotou 敖头		1937	Huolonggou Railway (zh)
333	10	Hailin 海林		1901
343	10	Lagu 拉古		1937
349	6	Huanghua 黄花		1942	Closed
		Ningbei 宁北			Closed
355	6	Mudanjiang 牡丹江		1901	Mujia Railway (zh), Mujia PDR (zh), Mutu Railway (zh), Tujia Railway (zh), Hamu PDR (zh)
362	7	Aihe 爱河	Miehe 乜河	1901
378	16	Modaoshi 磨刀石		1901
382	4	Shandi 山底			Closed
391	9	Daguanling 大观岭站	Shanling 山岭	1901	Closed
396	5	Shandong 山洞			Closed
404	13	Daimagou 代马沟	Taimagou 抬马沟	1901	Closed
417	13	Beilin 北林	Beilinhe 北林河	1901	Closed
430	13	Old Muling 老穆陵	Muling 穆陵	1901	Closed
442	12	Yilin 伊林		1900	Closed
443	65 (from Modaoshi)	Muling 穆陵		2015	Chengji Railway (zh)
453	11 (from Yilin)	Xiachengzi 下城子	Xiaochengzi 小城子	1900	Closed
462	9	Maqiaohe 马桥河	Magouhe 马沟河	1900	Closed
475	13	Hongfangzi 红房子	Hulimihe 虎力密河	1900	Closed
485	10	Tailing 太岭	Taipingling 太平岭	1900	Closed
501	58 (from Modaoshi)	Xilinhe 细鳞河		1899
511	10	Suixi 绥西	Sanchagou 三岔沟	1899	Closed
523	12	Suiyang 绥阳	Xiaosuifen 小绥芬	1899
541	18	Kuangou 宽沟	Badaohezi 八道河子	1898	Closed
548	7	Suifenhe 绥芬河	Station No. 5 Станция No.. 5	1898
					China–Russia border
0	21 (from border)	Grodekovo Гродеково		1898	Far Eastern Railway