China–North Korea passenger train service resumes after six years

BEIJING: Passenger train services between China and North Korea resumed on Thursday after a six-year suspension that began during the COVID-19.

According to China Railway, the first train departed from the capital Beijing on Thursday evening heading for Pyongyang.

The K27 train will make several stops along the route, including at Tianjin, before travelling northeast to Dandong, which lies along the frontier with North Korea.

From Dandong, passenger wagons destined for Pyongyang will be attached to another train that crosses the border into the North Korean city of Sinuiju, according to Rowan Beard of Young Pioneer Tours.

Those wagons, along with domestic North Korean carriages, will then form a new train travelling onward to Pyongyang, where it is expected to arrive on Friday evening.

China Railway also confirmed that a separate daily rail service will operate between Dandong and Pyongyang.

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Travel agents at an official ticketing booth in Beijing told AFP that passengers with valid visas can now purchase tickets to travel to North Korea. The service will cater to Chinese citizens working or studying in the country as well as North Koreans travelling abroad or visiting family.

Trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will operate four days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday — in both directions.

Authorities said immigration and customs procedures will be completed at the Dandong border crossing and at Sinuiju in North Korea, while tickets are currently available for offline purchase in several Chinese cities.