Some passengers were heading to China for a New Year's buying spree, others were Chinese migrant workers returning home for New Year's Day and for the forthcoming Spring Festival which falls on February 18, 2007.

The new service is the third international railway service between Chita and Manzhouli, a city in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The other two are the Moscow-Beijing international train and the Chita-Manzhouli rail service, both of which are operated on a regular basis.

The new temporary Russian-operated rail service is a once-a-week service. The first inbound train on this route left Chita at 9:13 a.m. on Monday, said an officer on duty at the Manzhouli Border Checkpoint.

The six-carriage train, carrying a maximum 216 passengers, set off from Manzhouli on the way back to Chita at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

Economic and cultural exchanges have boosted traffic in the far east.

Operation of the regional railway service will not only make it more convenient for people living close to the Sino-Russian border to travel around, but also alleviate pressure on the existing regular international railway services to Manzhouli, said a local official.