Putin approves new China-Russia railway agreement using the 1435 mm standard gauge—understand the significance of this track.
It is merely a newly constructed double-track line at the border crossing, short in length, but its strategic value is substantial.
Many may wonder: why has a single rail become a major bottleneck in Sino-Russian trade?
The answer lies in gauge differences.
China’s high-speed and conventional railways both use the 1435 mm standard gauge, which is also the internationally recognized norm. Russia, however, has long maintained the 1520 mm broad gauge—a difference of just 85 mm.
That 85 mm gap has become a physical barrier at the border.
Train wheelsets are fixed in width; even a minor mismatch prevents movement.
When China-Europe freight trains or cross-border cargo services reach Manzhouli, they cannot proceed directly. They must stop, unload containers, transfer them from Chinese rolling stock to Russian vehicles—commonly referred to as “transshipment” or “wheelset replacement.”
Manzhouli is the busiest rail crossing between China and Russia, handling a significant volume of freight traffic. This transshipment bottleneck has long been a chronic inefficiency.
The new agreement aims specifically to resolve this issue.
The newly built second track uses the 1435 mm standard gauge, identical to China’s domestic system.
Once operational, trains running on China’s standard gauge can enter Russian terminal facilities at the border without interruption for transshipment or rehandling, significantly reducing waiting times and substantially improving throughput efficiency at the crossing point.
It is important to clarify key points rationally and avoid overinterpretation:
First, Russia is not converting its entire railway network to China’s gauge.
The mainline railways within Russian territory remain on the 1520 mm broad gauge. The new standard-gauge line is confined to the border zone, serving only as a connecting corridor—not a nationwide conversion.
Second, this is not a unilateral concession but a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The project was approved by both chambers of the Russian parliament and formally signed by the president, reflecting extensive negotiation and mutual assessment of costs and benefits.
Third, existing broad-gauge lines will continue operating normally. The two systems will coexist and complement each other, effectively adding a dedicated “fast lane” to enhance logistics capacity and efficiency at the border.
Seen in broader context, this marks another tangible milestone for the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.
Many readers are asking: will China-Europe freight trains no longer need to transship when passing through Manzhouli?
This must be clarified to prevent misunderstanding.
The new 1435 mm standard-gauge line extends only about 10 kilometers to the Russian side of the Baikal station, with no further extension into Siberia.
All mainlines and the Trans-Siberian Railway within Russia continue to operate exclusively on the 1520 mm broad gauge.
Its purpose is not to eliminate the gauge discrepancy, but to expand the border transshipment capacity by introducing an independent standard-gauge route—diverting traffic and alleviating congestion and queuing.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1880793583619072/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.