RUSSIA and China have signed an intergovernmental agreement to lay a second track on the line between Zabaikalsk in Russia and Manzhouli in China, increasing freight capacity at this key rail border crossing.
Providing a second 1435mm-gauge track on the 12km cross-border line is expected to significantly improve container throughput, enabling trains to operate to and from China at the same time. At present, trains from China use the existing single track to reach Zabaikalsk where containers are transferred to 1520mm-gauge wagons for onward movement through Russia.
Construction work is expected to begin shortly, with the second track potentially entering service as early as next year. By 2030, the project is expected to increase capacity between Zabaikalsk and Manzhouli by 11 million tonnes a year.
Rail freight traffic between Russia and China has doubled over the past five years to reach 187 million tonnes in 2025. Rising shipping costs caused by disruption to maritime traffic in the Red Sea and more recently in the Persian Gulf have refocused attention on overland routes between China and Europe.
According to a report in local business publication East Russia, demand on the overland route via Russia and Belarus has increased by 40% as it provides the most stable and secure option for transit traffic moving between China and the European Union (EU).
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