Northeast to benefit from new high-speed rail link

A new high-speed railway linking China's major northeastern cities of Harbin and Dalian will begin operation on Saturday, with experts predicting the 98 billion yuan ($15.7 billion) infrastructure investment could accelerate social and economic cooperation right across northeast Asia.

The 921 km route, with 24 stops, is the world's first high-speed, high-altitude rail line, and has been designed to withstand extreme temperatures, according to the Shenyang Railway Bureau.

The high-speed link is expected to reduce the travel time between Harbin and Dalian to four hours, from the current 10 hours.

The CRH380B bullet trains serving the line can operate in temperatures as low as -40 C, and as high as 40 C.

Local officials and experts said they expect the railway to not only make travel easier, but also provide a huge economic boost to the region.

The northeastern provinces (Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning) are considered some of China's key industrial bases, and the high-speed rail line is expected to ease transportation bottlenecks, said Zhu Shu, a senior official with the United Nations Development Program's Tumen project.

 "Harbin and Dalian are hubs of international trade and economic cooperation in northeast Asia. The new line represents a significant investment in the infrastructure of the region, which will have a very positive effect on traffic in this important regional commercial corridor."

In the late 19th century, northeastern China's prosperity was highly reliant on railway construction.

Today the region plays an important role in providing food and energy resources to the rest of the country, and is an important trade link between China, Russia and the Korean Peninsula.

The border between Heilongjiang province and Russia is more than 2,000 km long.

According to local government figures, the volume of trade between the province and Russia reached $18.99 billion in 2011, representing nearly a quarter of the country's total trade volume with its northern neighbor.