The Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoe bridge in the EAO will not be the only crossing to China over the Amur

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The Chinese side is also considering cheaper options for river crossings in the TRANS Baikal territory and the Amur region.

While we are solving the problems of building a railway bridge across the Amur, China is considering the construction of several cheaper crossings in other regions — in the TRANS — Baikal territory (Pokrovka — Logukhe) and the Amur region (Blagoveshchensk-Heihe). Viktor Antonov, a journalist of the birobidzhanskaya Zvezda newspaper, found out about this by contacting the Chinese press, Eaomedia reports.

“The right to build the first international bridge crossing on the border river was granted to the Jewish Autonomous region several years ago in competition with the Amur region. Amur residents expected that a major bridge to China will appear in the area of Blagoveshchensk with access to Heihe. The economy of these two border cities and the interests of many of its residents are significantly linked. The border crossing in Blagoveshchensk is also actively used by tourists from Yakutia, the EAO and Khabarovsk.

But these plans were changed by the neighbors ‘ intention to build the kimkan-sutarsky GOK In the North of the EAO, whose products were planned to be mainly exported to China. The way to China through the territory of our region was considered more profitable by investors.

The bridge is being built in accordance with the Chinese-Russian agreement signed in 2013. This will be the first railway bridge across the Amur river between Russia and China. In the fall of 2015, the Chinese side mainly completed the construction of the bridge structures with a length of 2 thousand meters on its side of the Amur. In 2016, with the opening of navigation on the Amur, Chinese builders intend to prepare the object for laying rails. A 215-meter bridge has yet to be built across the Russian part of the Amur river.

The Tongjiang-nizhneleninskoe border railway bridge promises to be unique. The Chinese press of Heilongjiang province notes that “in the future, the bridge will connect the North-Eastern railway network of China with the Russian TRANS-Siberian railway. And the capacity of the port of Tongjiang will reach 33,000,000 tons.

This will improve international trade transport between the two countries, as well as strengthen bilateral economic cooperation, which will have a profound impact on the development of the economy.” (Here and further-translated from the Chinese by Nikita Antonov).

But it seems that the neighbors beyond the Amur river (Heilongjiang) are looking for other options to overcome the border river with cargo and passengers.

For example, the business magazine ChinaPRO, which covers the development of the Chinese economy, reported from Beijing that at the end of November last year, the draft agreement between the PRC and the government of the TRANS – Baikal territory planned to jointly build another bridge over the Amur river, near the Pokrovka-Logukhe checkpoint. Investment in the construction is expected to be approximately 1.5 billion rubles. For comparison, the construction of the bridge in the area of Tongjiang-nizhneleninskoe in current prices — 10 billion rubles.

As in the case of the Tongjiang-nizhneleninskoe route, the main incentive for the project is the need to enter the Chinese market for forest harvested in the region. But much of the bridge can be used for travel and other export and import goods.

However, there is not even a bridge project yet. The Russian-Chinese working group will only propose a scheme for financing the construction of the facility and access roads to it, the online magazine reports. And the approval of “details” is traditionally a slow process…

All the more significant is the attempt to “force the Amur” in the direction of Blagoveshchensk — Heihe! According to the above-mentioned publication, China and Russia have concluded an intergovernmental agreement on the construction and operation of a cable car across the Amur river (Heilongjiang). On this section between the Chinese and Russian cities, the suspension road is probably the best option for moving passengers, not commercial cargo. It can transport up to 2,000 people per hour.

There is no data on the cost of building the object yet. But I think no one will be mistaken if they say that the construction and operation of this object will cost much less than a major railway or road bridge. Such structures are relatively easy to build, and they can also be quickly removed and restored when demand changes.

I would not be surprised if one day someone comes up with an alternative idea to adapt such a structure for year-round cargo transportation. (By the way, according to foreign media, for 11 months of 2015, the volume of trade with Russia through the Heihe checkpoint reached 270,000 tons.This is 12.5 % more than a year earlier.) Not only for tourism, but also for small border trade, this can be a useful introduction. And expensive capital bridges will be used only in the most important directions, with stable cargo flows.

Although today the Chinese press writes that” Longjiang County acts as an important transit point on the great silk road ” and, accordingly, the importance of the cross — border railway bridge over the Amur river in the Tongjiang-nizhneleninskoe area is great, it must be remembered that the Chinese authorities never put all their eggs in one basket. The “silk road” has already started working, and while cargo from China to Europe goes through Georgia and Turkey. Trains. Along the new transport corridor, ” the article says.

IA EAOMedia

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