High-speed railway construction in full swing in NE China permafrost zone

HARBIN, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Construction of a high-speed railway through a permafrost zone in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province linking the provincial capital of Harbin and Yichun City, which is also in the province, gained new impetus on Thursday.

Photo: Xinhua

According to China Railway Harbin Bureau Group Co., Ltd., which is in charge of the project, the Harbin-Yichun high-speed railway is China's northernmost high-speed railway under construction.

The 318-km rail route connects Harbin, Tieli, Yichun, and a few other cities, allowing a designed train speed of 250 km per hour.

A 188-km section of this railway construction project linking Harbin and Tieli broke ground on Thursday. The route runs through alpine permafrost zone areas and the track has been designed with numerous bridges, which together account for 72 percent of the total length of this railway section.

Upon completion, the railway is expected to facilitate the economic development and industrial revitalization of the northeastern region.