The opening of a new railway linking 13 cities in Northeast China is expected to greatly boost local economies and make Dandong one of the major ports in China.

The 1,380-kilometer railway from Hegang in Heilongjiang province to Dandong in Liaoning province - and also extends all the way to Liaoning's southern port of Dalian - became operational on Sept 26.

Passing through all three northeastern provinces, it skirts China's borders with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Russia.