Putin Signs Law Ratifying China-Russia Rail Agreement: A 1,435 mm Second Track Between Zabaikalsk and Manzhouli
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a federal law ratifying an intergovernmental agreement with China on jointly building a cross-border railway, RIA Novosti reported on November 2. The agreement provides for a new second main track with a gauge of 1,435 millimetres on the Zabaikalsk-Manzhouli cross-border section, intended to increase freight volumes and transport speeds between the two stations.
The agreement was signed in Beijing on May 20, 2026, during Putin's visit to China on May 19-20, by Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin and Song Xiude, head of China's National Railway Administration. Russia's State Duma passed the ratification bill on October 15 and the Federation Council approved it on October 28; Putin's signature completes Russia's ratification process.
China's railways use the 1,435 mm standard gauge while Russia's use the 1,520 mm broad gauge. The 85 mm difference has long meant that trains crossing between the two countries must be transshipped or have their wheelsets changed at the border. The Zabaikalsk-Manzhouli section is one of the busiest rail crossings between the two countries, and Manzhouli is among the largest China-Russia land ports; a second track built to the Chinese gauge is expected to simplify cross-border freight handling.
RIA Novosti said the new track will be built alongside the existing cross-border line, with both countries to advance construction on their own territory in step under the agreement. No construction start or completion dates have been announced.
Source: RIA Novosti
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：从中国内蒙古满洲里一侧望向俄罗斯后贝加尔斯克火车站（资料图）。照片 CC BY-SA 4.0，作者 Liuxingy，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Zabaikalsk railway station in Russia, viewed from Manzhouli in Inner Mongolia, China (file photo). CC BY-SA 4.0, by Liuxingy, via Wikimedia Commons.
