Passenger railway reaches China's easternmost county

HARBIN - A new passenger rail line connected China's easternmost county of Fuyuan to inland areas Tuesday, and it is expected to boost the economy and tourism in the China-Russia border town.

A three-month passenger service trial was launched after a 169.4 km-long stretch of track was extended to the county from Qianjin township, Heilongjiang province, which has been linked by railway with Harbin, capital city of Heilongjiang.

Over the next three months, two passenger trains will run between Fuyuan and Harbin daily. Each trip takes about 17 hours.

The passenger service is expected to increase the number of passengers to the border town to 1 million annually, said Bo Xiru, director of the Heilongjiang provincial tourism bureau.

The railway, the eastern end of which terminates just 12 km from the Russian border, will help to increase visitors and boost tourism in Fuyuan and the border island of Heixiazi (Bolshoy Ussuriysky), said Song Kui, a researcher at the Heilongjiang provincial academy of social sciences.

The tranquil border town is the first place to see the sun rise in China, and it also boasts a well-protected wetland and scenic spots at the confluence of the Heilongjiang (Amur) and Ussuri rivers.

Locals refer to Heixiazi Island, located at the intersection of the Heilongjiang (Amur) and Ussuri rivers, as the "Fuyuan Delta."

China and Russia ended a century-long dispute over the region and held a border redrawing ceremony on Oct 14, 2008, declaring that each side owned half of the 335 square km island.

In November 2010, the two countries agreed to cooperate to develop the island into an eco-tourism zone. In July 2011, China opened its half of Heixiazi Island to tourists.