113-yr-old Russian-built railway bridge in Harbin retires

Binzhou (Harbin–Manzhouli) Railway Bridge, affectionately known as the “old river bridge”, has stopped its 113-year-long services.

The railway bridge was originally built by Russians as the western branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway on May 16, 1900. The double-track arterial railroad bridge between Harbin and Manzhouli on the Russian border was fully completed on August 22, 1901 and delivered on October 2 in the same year.

It is the oldest railway bridge on the Songhua River, Harbin and the first cross-river bridge in the city. The 934.8 km Binzhou Railway Bridge used to be a major rail transport corridor across northeast China, traversing Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang.

Binzhou Railway Bridge was included in the third national cultural relic survey in 2008; therefore, it will be protected as unmovable cultural relics and open to tourists.