High-speed rail to open after 6 years of challenges

China's northernmost high-speed rail line, designed for trains running at speeds of up to 250 km per hour between Harbin and Qiqihar, will go into service by the end of this month, railway authorities in Harbin said.

Construction of the 281-km line, which has eight stops, began in November 2009. Workers overcame numerous problems with snow and frozen land, and topography that required a significant number of bridges.

"The 3,460-meter-long bridge over the Songhua River, which contains four rail lines, is the controlling project of the whole line and lifts the nation's bridge construction to a new level," said Zhang Guohua, the project manager.