China, North Korea Resume Passenger Train Service After Six-Year Suspension

The first passenger train linking the capitals of China and North Korea departed Beijing on Thursday, restoring a cross-border rail connection that had been suspended for six years.

According to authorities, Train K27 left the Beijing Railway Station and is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang at about 6:07 p.m. on Friday after a 24-hour and 41-minute journey. The train travels north of the Bohai Sea and makes a stop in the Chinese border city of Dandong before entering North Korea.

Chinese officials said the resumption of the service reflects efforts to strengthen cross-border infrastructure and deepen ties between the neighbouring countries. A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry described the two nations as “friendly neighbours,” adding that the rail link would encourage people-to-people exchanges and improve communication between both sides.

Passenger services between the two capitals were halted in 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted strict border closures across the region.

Under the new arrangement, trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will run four times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets for the inaugural trip were sold out, although travel agencies said seats remain available for later departures.

Access to the service is limited, with tickets currently restricted to travellers holding business visas.

A shorter rail route connecting Dandong and Pyongyang has also resumed operations and will run daily in both directions. The first train from Dandong departed at 10 a.m. Thursday and is expected to reach Pyongyang later the same day.

Cross-border air travel between the two countries had also been suspended during the pandemic. However, North Korea’s national carrier, Air Koryo, resumed flights to China in 2023 and now operates services between Beijing and Pyongyang twice weekly.