Heilongjiang Transportation

Heilongjiang Province (黑龙江省), located at the northernmost and easternmost part of China, borders Russia to the north and east across the river. The province is a significant gateway for China’s northern opening, an important node of the "Belt and Road" initiative, and a frontier for Sino-Russian economic and trade cooperation. It also serves as a hub for regional cooperation in Northeast Asia. The province has established a modern three-dimensional transportation system, mainly consisting of aviation, highways, railways, and shipping, covering the entire province. In addition to Harbin Taiping International Airport (哈尔滨太平国际机场), there are 13 regional airports in the province. The total length of highways in the province is 168,400 kilometers, including nearly 4,700 kilometers of expressways. There is also a high-speed rail network centered around Harbin (哈尔滨), forming a 1-2 hour travel circle, including major lines such as Ha-Da (哈大), Ha-Mu (哈牡), Mu-Jia (牡佳), and Ha-Jia (哈佳).

In 2023, Heilongjiang Province completed a total freight volume of 620 million tons, including 121.37 million tons by railway, 416.19 million tons by road, 7.01 million tons by water, 136,000 tons by civil aviation, and 74.19 million tons by pipeline. The total freight turnover reached 227.72 billion ton-kilometers, with the highest contributions from railways (101.19 billion ton-kilometers), followed by highways (89.14 billion ton-kilometers) and pipelines (33.21 billion ton-kilometers). Passenger transport in the province totaled 18.79 million people, with railways, highways, and civil aviation handling most of the traffic.

Highways

As of the end of 2023, Heilongjiang had 8 expressway exit points connecting the province to other regions. The total length of expressways exceeded 5,000 kilometers. The completion of the Jihei (吉黑) and Tieke (铁科) expressways has enabled Heilongjiang to establish a comprehensive transportation hub system with Harbin (哈尔滨) at the center. Additionally, the province plans 98 provincial highways, spanning approximately 12,100 kilometers, including 18 provincial expressways (about 2,900 kilometers) and 80 regular provincial roads (approximately 9,200 kilometers). These routes form a network connecting key cities and counties across the province.

The total number of vehicles in the province reached 6.61 million by the end of 2023, with a 5.2% year-on-year increase. Among these, 6.03 million were private vehicles, with 3.47 million being private cars, marking a growth of 4.7%.

Railways

Heilongjiang's railway system is centered around Harbin (哈尔滨), with major hubs in Qiqihar (齐齐哈尔), Mudanjiang (牡丹江), and Jiamusi (佳木斯). There are 105 railway lines, including main lines, branch lines, and connecting lines, covering a total length of 15,938.5 kilometers. The province has established an "hour and two-hour" transportation circle, with railways radiating out from Harbin to major cities like Daqing (大庆), Qiqihar (齐齐哈尔), Mudanjiang (牡丹江), and Jiamusi (佳木斯).

The province also hosts major high-speed rail lines, such as the Harbin-Qiqihar High-Speed Railway (哈齐高铁), Harbin-Dalian Railway (哈大铁路), Harbin-Mudanjiang Passenger Dedicated Line (哈牡客专), and Harbin-Jiamusi Railway (哈佳铁路). Key high-speed rail stations include Mudanjiang (牡丹江), Linkou South (林口南), Jixi West (鸡西西), Qitaihe West (七台河西), Huanan East (桦南东), Shuangyashan West (双鸭山西), and Jiamusi (佳木斯).

Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway (哈大高铁)

The Harbin-Dalian High-Speed Railway is the busiest and longest high-speed rail in China's cold regions. The total length of this railway is 921 kilometers, with a designed speed of 350 kilometers per hour. It passes through Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, providing a significant reduction in travel time between Harbin (哈尔滨) and Dalian (大连), from 13 hours to 3.5 hours. The railway forms an important transportation link between Harbin, Changchun (长春), and Shenyang (沈阳), creating a 1-hour, 2-hour transportation circle.

Aviation

Heilongjiang Province boasts a well-developed civil aviation system, including major airports like Harbin Taiping International Airport (哈尔滨太平国际机场), Qiqihar Sanjiazi Airport (齐齐哈尔三家子机场), Mudanjiang Hailang International Airport (牡丹江海浪国际机场), and Jiamusi Dongjiao Airport (佳木斯东郊机场). The province is also home to specialized airports such as Heihe Aihui Airport (黑河瑷珲机场), Mohe Guliang Airport (漠河古莲机场), Yichun Lindu Airport (伊春林都机场), and more. The total number of general aviation airports in Heilongjiang is 88, making it the leader in China.

The government of Heilongjiang aims to establish Harbin (哈尔滨) as an international aviation hub, with 4 regional trunk lines and 12 regional airports supporting the development of a modern airport group. By 2020, the province had 120 operational air routes, with a total of 372 routes in operation.

Harbin Taiping International Airport 

Harbin Taiping International Airport, located 40 kilometers from Harbin’s city center, was approved by the State Council in 1987 as a national open port. The airport officially opened in 1989 and is currently the largest and most advanced international airport in Northeast China. It covers an area of 3.3 million square meters and has a runway that is 3,200 meters long. The airport can accommodate 18 wide-body aircraft for parking and maintenance.

Water Transport

Heilongjiang Province’s water system is one of China’s major navigable waterways, with key rivers such as the Heilongjiang (黑龙江), Songhua River (松花江), Ussuri River (乌苏里江), Nen River (嫩江), and lakes like Xingkai Lake (兴凯湖) and Jingpo Lake (镜泊湖) forming the province's navigational routes. The total navigable length is 5,495 kilometers, with 17 ports, including Harbin Port (哈尔滨港) and Jiamusi Port (佳木斯港), which are major inland ports in China.

The province has 1,356 cargo vessels with a total carrying capacity of 346,000 tons. In 2023, Heilongjiang Province completed 232,000 passengers and 7.01 million tons of freight by waterway.

As of 2024, Heilongjiang has 27 national first-class ports, including 13 waterway ports (Heihe (黑河), Xunke (逊克), Tongjiang (同江), Fuyuan (抚远), Luobei (萝北), Raohe (饶河), Jiayin (嘉荫), Mohe (漠河)), 4 air ports (Harbin (哈尔滨), Mudanjiang (牡丹江), Jiamusi (佳木斯), Qiqihar (齐齐哈尔)), 6 road ports (Suifenhe (绥芬河), Heihe (黑河), Dongning (东宁), Mishan (密山)), and 3 railway ports (Suifenhe (绥芬河), Tongjiang (同江), Harbin Inland Port (哈尔滨内陆港)).

Public Transportation

As of the end of 2024, Harbin (哈尔滨) has opened 3 metro lines: Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3, with a total length of 91.57 kilometers. Heilongjiang Province has also completed 67 public transportation bus routes in urban areas, improving the public transport system to cover over 500 meters of city blocks in cities with populations exceeding one million.