China-North Korea Passenger Rail Service to Resume After Six-Year Hiatus

The international passenger rail service between China and North Korea, which has been suspended since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to resume after six years. According to travel operators, the service is scheduled to restart from Thursday.

Travel agents working with official ticket booths in Beijing and Dandong informed AFP that in the initial phase, the rail service will be open to Chinese citizens working or studying in North Korea, and North Koreans traveling abroad for work, study, or family visits.

However, tourists will not be permitted to purchase tickets for the time being.

Rowan Beard, Tour Manager at Young Pioneer Tours, a company specializing in travel services to North Korea, stated that the resumption of the rail service is a positive sign. He welcomed the reopening of the international rail service.

According to him, his company, among many specializing in managing travel to North Korea, will be able to book tickets for the train running from Thursday.

He expressed confidence that although the initial phase is not targeted at tourists, this rail journey will become another important option once tourism activities in North Korea reopen in the future. He added that it will offer passengers more convenience as an alternative to air travel.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread, North Korea adopted strict control policies, almost completely halting cross-border travel in 2020. During that time, rail travel between China and North Korea was also suspended.

Recently, North Korea has been gradually resuming some international movements. Last year, direct flight and rail services between North Korea and Russia were reinstated.

It is reported that these transport services were resumed against the backdrop of increasingly close relations between Moscow and Pyongyang, especially since the start of the Ukraine war.