Zabaykalsk
Encyclopedia
Zabaykalsk is an urban locality (an urban-type settlement
) and the administrative center of Zabaykalsky District
of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia
, located on the Russian-Chinese border just opposite the Chinese
border town of Manzhouli
. Population:
The Russo-Chinese highway AH6
passes through the town.
The formerly disputed Abagaitu Islet
in the Argun
River is located about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) to the east.
No. 86") on the Chinese Eastern Railway
.
Since 1924, a border guard detachment has been stationed there. In the aftermath of the Sino-Soviet conflict (1929)
the station was renamed Otpor ("Repulse").
Until the mid-1930s, Razyezd 86 / Otpor had little significance as a station, as all border formalities were done at Matsiyevskaya station (deeper into Russia) and at Manzhouli
, on the Chinese side of the border. The station was expanded in the mid-1930s, as the railway on the Chinese side
had been sold by the USSR to Manchukuo
and converted from the gauge of the Russian Railways
to the China Railways
; Otpor thus became the last Russian-gauge station. The station became quite important in 1945, as one of the bases of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria (1945), which also saw the rail line on the Chinese side temporary re-converted to Russian gauge. The station's importance continued as the main rail connection between the USSR and the Communist China. On China's request, in 1958 the Soviets changed the name "Otpor" to the neutral Zabaykalsk (i.e., "a city in Transbaikalia", "a city beyond Lake Baikal
").
. The other two are in Primorsky Krai
, much farther to the east; besides, much traffic between Russia and China travels on the rail line crossing Mongolia
. It is served by what is now officially called the Southern Branch of the Transbaykal Railway (Южный ход Забайкальской железной дороги): a line that branches off the present-day main Trans-Siberian Railway
line at Karymskaya junction (east of Chita), and continues southeast toward the Chinese border. Originally (until 1916), this line was part of the main Moscow-to-Vladivostok rail route, where trains coming from the west would continue into China on the former Chinese Eastern Railway
, in order to cut across Manchuria
on their way to Russian Vladivostok. After the modern route of the Trans-Siberian Railway
, located entirely within Russian national territory, was completed in 1916, the Southern Branch's role was restricted to that of servicing Russia's border community, and providing connectivity to China.
Zabykalsk has been a transshipment
station for a break of gauge since the 1930s, when the railway on the Chinese side
had been sold by the USSR to Manchukuo
and converted from the gauge of the Russian Railways
to the China Railways
.
Since 2005, a number of projects have been carried out to increase the capacity of the "Southern Branch", and its connection to China.
The goal was to enable the railway by 2010 to handle 30 trains in each direction, each one up to 71 cars long. By 2005, the maximum weight of the trains using the line had already been increased from 4,000 to 6,300 tons.
In 2008, TransContainer
's container transshipment
facility was expanded.
Work on modernizing the facility for passenger railcar bogie exchange was conducted as well.
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
) and the administrative center of Zabaykalsky District
Zabaykalsky District
Zabaykalsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the 31 in Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. Its administrative center is the urban locality of Zabaykalsk. Population: 20,343 ; Population of Zabaykalsk accounts for 57.5% of the district's population.The district was established...
of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, located on the Russian-Chinese border just opposite the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
border town of Manzhouli
Manzhouli
- Administration :Manzhouli is divided into ten subdistricts and one town. Six of the subdistricts of Manzhouli are grouped into a district. Technically however, only a prefecture-level city can have districts, so Manzhouli's lone district is not officially listed.- History :In ancient times the...
. Population:
The Russo-Chinese highway AH6
AH6
AH6 is a route in the Asian Highway Network. It runs from Busan, South Korea to the border between Russia and Belarus. Altogether it is 6545 miles long....
passes through the town.
The formerly disputed Abagaitu Islet
Abagaitu Islet
Abagaitu Islet is an islet in the Argun River divided between the People's Republic of China and Russia...
in the Argun
Argun
Argun may refer to:*Argun , name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Argun River , a river in the Caucasus*Argun River , a river in Asia*Medemia argun, flowering plant in the Arecaceae family...
River is located about 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) to the east.
History
It was founded in 1904 as a station (Razyezd 86, i.e. "Passing loopPassing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
No. 86") on the Chinese Eastern Railway
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
.
Since 1924, a border guard detachment has been stationed there. In the aftermath of the Sino-Soviet conflict (1929)
Sino-Soviet conflict (1929)
The Sino–Soviet conflict of 1929 was a minor armed conflict between the Soviet Union and Chinese warlord Zhang Xueliang of the Republic of China over the Manchurian Chinese Eastern Railway....
the station was renamed Otpor ("Repulse").
Until the mid-1930s, Razyezd 86 / Otpor had little significance as a station, as all border formalities were done at Matsiyevskaya station (deeper into Russia) and at Manzhouli
Manzhouli
- Administration :Manzhouli is divided into ten subdistricts and one town. Six of the subdistricts of Manzhouli are grouped into a district. Technically however, only a prefecture-level city can have districts, so Manzhouli's lone district is not officially listed.- History :In ancient times the...
, on the Chinese side of the border. The station was expanded in the mid-1930s, as the railway on the Chinese side
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
had been sold by the USSR to Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
and converted from the gauge of the Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
to the China Railways
China Railways
China Railways is the national railway operator of the People's Republic of China, under the Chinese Ministry of Railways.China Railways operates rail commuter and freight transport via several smaller companies....
; Otpor thus became the last Russian-gauge station. The station became quite important in 1945, as one of the bases of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria (1945), which also saw the rail line on the Chinese side temporary re-converted to Russian gauge. The station's importance continued as the main rail connection between the USSR and the Communist China. On China's request, in 1958 the Soviets changed the name "Otpor" to the neutral Zabaykalsk (i.e., "a city in Transbaikalia", "a city beyond Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is the world's oldest at 30 million years old and deepest lake with an average depth of 744.4 metres.Located in the south of the Russian region of Siberia, between Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryat Republic to the southeast, it is the most voluminous freshwater lake in the...
").
Transport
Zabaykalsk/Manzhouli is one of the three direct connections between Russian and Chinese RailwaysChina Railways
China Railways is the national railway operator of the People's Republic of China, under the Chinese Ministry of Railways.China Railways operates rail commuter and freight transport via several smaller companies....
. The other two are in Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai
Primorsky Krai , informally known as Primorye , is a federal subject of Russia . Primorsky means "maritime" in Russian, hence the region is sometimes referred to as Maritime Province or Maritime Territory. Its administrative center is in the city of Vladivostok...
, much farther to the east; besides, much traffic between Russia and China travels on the rail line crossing Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. It is served by what is now officially called the Southern Branch of the Transbaykal Railway (Южный ход Забайкальской железной дороги): a line that branches off the present-day main Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
line at Karymskaya junction (east of Chita), and continues southeast toward the Chinese border. Originally (until 1916), this line was part of the main Moscow-to-Vladivostok rail route, where trains coming from the west would continue into China on the former Chinese Eastern Railway
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
, in order to cut across Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
on their way to Russian Vladivostok. After the modern route of the Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
, located entirely within Russian national territory, was completed in 1916, the Southern Branch's role was restricted to that of servicing Russia's border community, and providing connectivity to China.
Zabykalsk has been a transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
station for a break of gauge since the 1930s, when the railway on the Chinese side
Chinese Eastern Railway
The Chinese Eastern Railway or was a railway in northeastern China . It connected Chita and the Russian Far East. English-speakers have sometimes referred to this line as the Manchurian Railway...
had been sold by the USSR to Manchukuo
Manchukuo
Manchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
and converted from the gauge of the Russian Railways
Russian Railways
The Russian Railways , is the government owned national rail carrier of the Russian Federation, headquartered in Moscow. The Russian Railways operate over of common carrier routes as well as a few hundred kilometers of industrial routes, making it the second largest network in the world exceeded...
to the China Railways
China Railways
China Railways is the national railway operator of the People's Republic of China, under the Chinese Ministry of Railways.China Railways operates rail commuter and freight transport via several smaller companies....
.
Since 2005, a number of projects have been carried out to increase the capacity of the "Southern Branch", and its connection to China.
The goal was to enable the railway by 2010 to handle 30 trains in each direction, each one up to 71 cars long. By 2005, the maximum weight of the trains using the line had already been increased from 4,000 to 6,300 tons.
In 2008, TransContainer
TransContainer
TransContainer is an intermodal freight transport company based in Russia. It is a subsidiary of RZD.It is Russia's main intermodal container transport and integrated logistics company; it transports over a million TEUs per year...
's container transshipment
Transshipment
Transshipment or Transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, and then from there to yet another destination....
facility was expanded.
Work on modernizing the facility for passenger railcar bogie exchange was conducted as well.