A railway line between the city of Changchun, capital of Jilin province, and the city of Hunchun, which will cover the 247-kilometer distance in 2.5 hours, will be ready for testing sometime in July, according to the local government, on April 15.

 

It is expected to be open for use at the beginning of September and helps build up infrastructure around the seven major cities where it passes through.

 

Each railway station will have its own local characteristics, for instance, the one in Hunchun, which will have Russian elements in its inferior design, reflecting the growing number of Russian tourists it is getting, while the one in Yanji will have Korean features in its decoration.

 

In commenting on the significance of this line, one local construction official says, "It's absolutely vital to Yanbian Korean prefecture's development, particularly in its economic relations with Changchun."

 

He was referring to a prefecture that is under provincial jurisdiction in eastern Jilin and close to Russia and the DPRK, and is home of many Koreans, so it is an important site for foreign trade.