The passenger train service between Beijing and Pyongyang, suspended for six years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to resume this week. It will operate four times a week, primarily for diplomats and official travelers. The move signals a gradual reopening of cross-border exchanges between North Korea and China.
Train service linking Beijing and Pyongyang will resume this week for the first time since it was suspended six years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said Tuesday. According to an official at China State Railway Group, the Beijing-Pyongyang route will operate four times a week starting Thursday, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The train departs Beijing at 5:26 p.m. and arrives in Pyongyang around 6 p.m. the following day, with a stop in the Chinese border city of Dandong. The last two cars will be reserved for passengers.
The service had been halted since 2020 when North Korea sealed its borders. It comes as the country has gradually eased some travel restrictions in recent months, resuming limited cross-border exchanges. Initially, the train will primarily serve diplomats and those on official business trips, with plans to accommodate general passengers if seats remain available.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at a regular press briefing that China and North Korea are "friendly neighboring countries," and that maintaining regular passenger train services carries "important significance for facilitating people-to-people exchange between the two sides." He added that China supports strengthening communication between relevant authorities to create more convenient conditions for cross-border travel.
Last year, North Korea resumed direct flight and train services between Pyongyang and Moscow. The move occurs amid a fluid international situation, including U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and escalating Middle East conflict, as North Korea and China seek to promote cooperation. However, ties between Pyongyang and Beijing have cooled due to North Korea's deepening military cooperation with Russia over the Ukraine war. Kim Jong-un held summit talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing in September last year, but high-level exchanges show no full restoration. An official at South Korea's foreign ministry said the government is closely monitoring developments in North Korea-China relations.
