First cable car between Russia, China to be launched in summer - Amur region governor

BLAGOVESCHENSK. Feb 3 (Interfax) - The first cross-border cable car between Blagoveschensk in the Amur Region and Heihe, China, will begin operating this summer, Amur region governor Vasily Orlov said in a speech at the Federation Council, where the Days of the Amur Region event is taking place.

"We will have it ready at the end of summer. So, we have had some difficulties with replacing imported equipment, with the control system, put it this way [...] But everything will be fine, and I am sure we will launch it in summer," Orlov said.

The provisional date of the cable car's launch voiced at the meeting was August.

As reported, the cross-border cable car is being built as part of an intergovernmental agreement signed by Russia and China in September 2015. The project was symbolically launched in July 2019, and it was announced in autumn of last year that it would begin carrying passengers after trials in spring 2026.

The project is being implemented by the Agency for Project Initiative Development (APID), part of Region Group.

The cable car will have the capacity to carry 6,800 people per day in each direction, or 2.5 million people per year in both directions. The number of foreign tourists arriving in Blagoveschensk is expected to triple to 918,000 per year by 2030.

In December 2025, VEB.RF provided the first funds for construction operations in a loan agreement for 4 billion rubles. Overall, 17 billion rubles will be loaned for construction work, of which 4 billion rubles will be issued by VEB.RF as a preferential loan through the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.