Russia, China to upgrade rail checkpoint as freight turnover skyrockets

An expert team of Russia's Far Eastern Rail, led by Victor Popov, company manager, arrived on the Russo-Chinese frontier today to blueprint updating efforts in the Grodekovo checkpoint in Russia's Littoral Territory on the east coast of the Sea of Japan.

As Mr. Popov informed Novosti, cargo transshipments in Grodekovo are steadily increasing by an annual average million tonnes, and the nearest future is expected to raise them by another 25% or even more. This year will see five million tonnes of incoming and outgoing transnational cargoes, say the most modest forecasts.

Ambitious reconstruction is well underway in Grodekovo and Hsufengho, its Chinese analogue, to lay new approach lines, extend cargo depots, and update control and communications.

The Littoral Territory has another rail checkpoint, commissioned quite recently--Makhalino for Russia and Hunchun for China. Its through capacity is steadily growing soon to reach an annual three million tonnes.