Primorye Awaits Transit

The railway section of Primorye-1 from China to Russia follows the route Harbin – Mudanjiang – Suifenhe border crossing – Grodekovo – Ussuriysk – the ports of Vladivostok, Vostochny and Nakhodka. The Primorye-2 ITC runs Changchun – Jilin – Hunchun checkpoint – Kamyshovaya – the port of Zarubino. Cross-border traffic passes through two checkpoints: Pogranichny (Grodekovo station) and Makhalino (Kamyshovaya station).

In 2025, 11.5 million tons of cargo passed through these border crossings, and in January–August 2026, 7.4 million tons. Andrei Tikhomirov, Head of the Center for Macroeconomics and International Projects at the Institute for Economics and Transport Development (IETD), is convinced that “if the current trend continues, the full-year result may exceed last year’s figure.”

Today the corridors are gaining importance amid the reorientation of Russian logistics to the East, record utilization of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Baikal–Amur Mainline (BAM), and the development of the Trans-Arctic Transport Corridor (TATC). The Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 ITCs complement existing routes: they support two-way trade between Russia and China and also make it possible to ship Chinese cargo in transit via the Russian Railways network to Asia-Pacific countries and to China’s southeastern provinces.

ROUTE TRIALS

In September, a technology for regular shuttle trains through the Suifenhe–Grodekovo railway checkpoint was presented. The service was launched by Russian Railways together with FinInvest. It has the potential to dispatch up to 100 expedited container trains per month.

“The shuttle trains will speed up and multiply container shipments of import and transit cargo and create a seamless freight route from northeastern China to Russia and third countries,” Alexander Kakhidze, CEO of FinInvest LLC, said at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) held in September 2026.

According to him, the launch of these trains marks the start of full-scale development of the Primorye-1 ITC, which has been endorsed by both the Russian and Chinese sides at the level of heads of state. With the involvement of Russian Railways, the number of container trains through Grodekovo has already almost doubled, from 6 to 12 per day. This has made it possible to switch to direct routing to the Artyom transport and logistics center (TLC), where import consignments are consolidated and then delivered via Chik station on the West Siberian Railway to end customers in Moscow and other regions.

The second part of the project is Primorye-1 transit traffic: cargo from northeastern China is carried over Russian Railways infrastructure, transshipped at the ports of Vladivostok and then delivered by the Panda Express Line shipping service to ports in southern China.

“The Primorye-1 ITC will allow China to significantly shorten the transport leg by delivering cargo to the sea through Primorsky Krai instead of carrying it by rail to ports in the country’s southern regions,” Alexander Kakhidze told Gudok.

COMPETITION FOR CARGO

The corridors face serious competition. Among alternative routes for Chinese transit, China’s own ports—Dalian, Qingdao, Tianjin, Shanghai and others—are coming to the fore. Over recent decades, China has developed its rail approaches and built powerful deep-water port infrastructure, which allows cargo to be shipped directly to Japan, South Korea and ASEAN member states without transit through Russian territory. At present, these routes have the edge thanks to seamless and well-established services and no need for transshipment at the break of gauge on the Russia–China border. All these factors affect the cost and speed of transportation.

Andrei Tikhomirov believes that increasing traffic through Russia and filling the Primorye corridors requires “the development of supporting transport and logistics infrastructure, simpler and faster document flow for cargo movement, and confirmation of the cargo base through long-term contracts.” This primarily means modernizing the Pogranichny and Makhalino railway checkpoints, as well as mainline infrastructure. Container terminals, warehouse facilities and Far Eastern ports also need to be improved. Building modern distribution centers and dry ports near the border, where cargo could be accumulated, sorted and handled, is a promising option. In addition, tariff regulation and the introduction of digital solutions need to be addressed. All these issues are to be reflected and worked out when the Concept for the Development of the Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 International Transport Corridors is updated, the expert adds.

GROWTH PROSPECTS

“We are confident that projects that were previously put on hold, such as Primorye-1 and Primorye-2, will reach their target cargo turnover,” Deputy Transport Minister Boris Tashimov said at EEF 2026.

It is worth recalling that the development of the Primorye-1 and Primorye-2 ITCs is enshrined in the Development Strategy for the Far Eastern Federal District until 2036, approved by a Russian Government directive in September 2026. Its priorities include creating the Eastern Hub of the Northern Sea Route as part of the TATC on the basis of these corridors, which requires synchronizing port, rail, road and border infrastructure.

The Primorye ITCs connect northeastern China with the ports of the Far East, the eastern end of the TATC. From here, Chinese cargo could travel along the TATC to Europe. However, as Andrei Tikhomirov points out, the prospects for integration remain constrained by a number of factors, such as the seasonality of navigation on the Northern Sea Route, the need for icebreaker escort, difficulties in insuring cargo and sanctions risks for Chinese operators.

“In the foreseeable future, the most realistic scenario is a gradual increase in volumes, provided that supporting transport and logistics infrastructure is developed, document flow is simplified and accelerated, and the cargo base is confirmed through long-term contracts,” Andrei Tikhomirov concluded.

Alexander Solyanik