After a six-year suspension due to pandemic restrictions, passenger rail service between China and North Korea officially resumes operations on Thursday, marking a significant step in reviving cross-border connectivity. China Railway announced the restoration of services in an official notice released late Tuesday, characterizing the trains as “a moving link that strengthens the friendship between China and North Korea.”
The revitalized rail network will feature four weekly departures between Beijing and Pyongyang, complemented by daily service connecting the Chinese border city of Dandong with the North Korean capital. While China has fully reopened its borders post-pandemic, North Korea has adopted a more gradual approach to international travel, only beginning to permit limited tourist entries starting in 2024.
According to China Railway specifications, international travelers will have access to designated carriages on the Beijing-Pyongyang route. However, travel industry representatives indicate that tourist ticket sales remain restricted at present. One agency informed AFP that current ticket eligibility is limited to passengers with valid visas, including Chinese citizens working or studying in North Korea, and North Koreans with overseas work, study, or family visitation needs.
Demand appears strong, with Reuters reporting that tickets for the inaugural Thursday departure have already sold out. The resumption of regular passenger service received diplomatic endorsement from Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who emphasized on Tuesday that maintaining these transportation links “is of great significance” for facilitating people-to-people exchanges between the two nations.
Prior to the pandemic-driven border closure in early 2020, Chinese tourists constituted the largest demographic of international visitors to North Korea. The Hermit Kingdom has recently initiated tourism development projects, including new seaside resorts, as part of efforts to revitalize its tourism sector, though these initiatives have experienced intermittent suspensions during implementation.