Russia and China launch second cross-border passenger train route in 2026

PrimaMedia, March 20 – Authorities in Primorsky Krai expect Russian Railways (RZD) to launch a second passenger train to China this year. Currently, the only operating route is Suifenhe–Grodekovo, but a direct service from Vladivostok to Sunwu—a destination once popular with Primorye residents—will be added, reports the PrimaMedia news agency.

"We currently have one passenger train running between Suifenhe and Pogranichny. This year, together with RZD, we plan to launch a Suifenhe–Vladivostok service. It's a complex project, but I am confident we will succeed," said Konstantin Sidorenko, Primorsky Krai's Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations, speaking in Khabarovsk at an interregional strategic session on developing a unified tourism offering and promoting it in the Chinese market (quoted by Interfax – Far East, 18+).

The route will be operated by Federal Passenger Company (a subsidiary of RZD). As previously reported by PrimaMedia, regular service between Grodekovo and Suifenhe resumed in December 2025, and since March 8, 2026—after a long hiatus—trains have been running from Zabaykalsk to Manzhouli in northeastern China. No other passenger trains currently operate between Russia and China.

According to RZD data, Train No. 402/401 on the Grodekovo–Suifenhe route has carried an average of about 878 passengers per month over the four months since visa-free travel was introduced.