A train chockfull of passengers left Chita, a city in the far
east of Russia, on Monday, and arrived in China at Manzhouli
railway station on the Sino-Russian border at 10 AM Tuesday.
Some passengers were heading to China for a New Year's buying
spree, others were Chinese migrant workers returning home for New
Year's Day and for the forthcoming Spring Festival which falls on
February 18, 2007.
The new service is the third international railway service
between Chita and Manzhouli, a city in north China's Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region.
The other two are the Moscow-Beijing international train and the
Chita-Manzhouli rail service, both of which are operated on a
regular basis.
The new temporary Russian-operated rail service is a once-a-week
service. The first inbound train on this route left Chita at 9:13
AM on Monday, said an officer on duty at the Manzhouli Border
Checkpoint.
The six-carriage train, carrying a maximum 216 passengers, set
off from Manzhouli on the way back to Chita at 3 PM on Tuesday.
Economic and cultural exchanges have boosted traffic in the Far
East.
Operation of the regional railway service will not only make it
more convenient for people living close to the Sino-Russian border
to travel around, but also alleviate pressure on the existing
regular international railway services to Manzhouli, said a local
official.
(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2006)
