Northeast China city turns disused train into restaurant

You are more likely to be handed barbecued mutton than a train ticket in the two-carriaged "green skinned" train on a roadside in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

The train-turned restaurant, which opened Friday, can sit 160 diners, offering them home-brewed beer and barbecue.

The transformation was started by the asset management company of Harbin Railway Administration in May.

The platform, control board, signal lamp and number plate of the carriage remind people of the bygone era of China's "green-skinned" trains (named for their color), which were heavily used in the country for decades.

"In the modern era of high-speed trains, the slow green trains are just a distant memory for many urbanites," said Cong Jusen, deputy general manager with the company. "The restaurant has reused the train carriages to earn a profit and offer a good place for passengers to look back on old memories," Cong said.

Railways are a cultural symbol for Harbin. The administration has also set up a square commemorating Zhan Tianyou, a distinguished Chinese railroad engineer, and established a train museum.