Russian Railways has announced the resumption of international passenger traffic through the Zabaikalsk—Manchuria border crossing, which was suspended in February 2020 due to the pandemic. The train will start running on March 8, 2026, and from Irkutsk and Chita stations it will be possible to travel to China by non-stop carriages from March 6 and 7.
Trains will run twice a week — on Wednesdays and Sundays — in both directions. The travel time between Zabaikalsky and Manchuria will be about 25 minutes. Departure from Zabaikalsk is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. local time, and from Manchuria for 2 p.m. Ticket sales will open soon, and in the future they can be purchased 60 days before departure.
Railway traffic across this section of the border was completely stopped in early 2020, at the same time the Beijing—Moscow and Chita—Zabaikalsk—Beijing trains were canceled. In recent years, individual routes and bus services have been gradually resumed, and China's introduction of a visa-free regime for Russians from September 2025 has further stimulated passenger interest in the destination.
