China–North Korea passenger train resumes after six-year pandemic halt

Passenger train services between China and North Korea are set to resume on Thursday after being suspended for nearly six years during the COVID-19 pandemic, marking a significant step toward restoring cross-border movement between the two countries.

According to railway authorities and travel agencies, the first passenger train will depart from Beijing for Pyongyang on Thursday evening, reopening a route that had remained dormant since 2020 when strict border closures were imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

China is widely regarded as North Korea’s most important trading partner and a crucial source of economic, political and diplomatic support for the isolated state. The resumption of train services is therefore being seen as an important development in rebuilding people-to-people movement and trade links between the neighbouring nations.

The train, designated as the K27 service, will begin its journey in the Chinese capital before making several stops along the way. One of the key stops will be the major port city of Tianjin, after which the train will continue northeast toward the border city of Dandong in Liaoning province. Dandong sits along the Yalu River and serves as the main gateway between China and North Korea.

According to Rowan Beard of Young Pioneer Tours, a travel agency that specialises in North Korea tourism, the journey involves a logistical transfer at the border. Passenger wagons carrying travellers bound for Pyongyang will be detached at Dandong and then attached to another train that crosses into North Korea.

From there, the train will enter the North Korean city of Sinuiju, located just across the border from Dandong. After immigration and customs procedures are completed, the combined train will continue its journey to Pyongyang, where it is expected to arrive on Friday evening.

China Railway has also announced that an additional rail service will operate between Dandong and Pyongyang, providing a more direct connection between the border city and the North Korean capital.

Travel agencies in Beijing have confirmed that train tickets are now available for purchase through official ticketing offices. Anyone holding a valid visa for North Korea can buy tickets, including Chinese citizens working or studying in the country, as well as North Koreans travelling for employment, education, or family visits abroad.

Authorities say trains will run in both directions between Beijing and Pyongyang four times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays—restoring a key rail corridor that once served diplomats, traders and tourists.

Border formalities will be completed at the Dandong crossing in China and the Sinuiju checkpoint in North Korea, according to railway officials.

For now, tickets are available only for offline purchase in selected Chinese cities, though officials expect the reopening of the rail route to gradually expand travel opportunities between the two countries.

The restoration of the Beijing–Pyongyang train line is widely viewed as a symbolic milestone, reflecting North Korea’s cautious reopening to international travel after years of strict pandemic isolation.