The service had been suspended since 2020 due to the pandemic; the trip this Thursday (12th March) was from Dandong to Pyongyang
An international passenger train that left China arrived in the capital of North Korea this Thursday (March 12, 2026). It was the first trip made since 2020, when the service was suspended due to the covid-19 pandemic.
According to the state agency, the international train left Dandong, a Chinese city near the border with North Korea, and arrived in Pyongyang at around 6:30 pm (local time).
announced on Tuesday (10th March) that international passenger trains connecting China and North Korea in both directions will open this Thursday (12th March).
According to the railway group, services “will link Beijing and the border city of Dandong with Pyongyang to facilitate cross-border travel and boost economic, commercial and cultural exchanges between the 2 countries”.
Watch the video (39s):
An international passenger train linking Dandong in northeast China’s Liaoning Province with Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), began service on Thursday.
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews)
Trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will run 4 days a week, with trips in both directions scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The journey between the capitals is not via bullet train and lasts around 1 day. The service departing from Dandong will operate daily in both directions.
The resumption of operations has an important impact on the North Korean economy, which has not yet normalized its tourism policy since the pandemic and maintains restrictions on the entry of visitors. Previously, Chinese tourists represented the largest share of visitors to the country.
Earlier this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping (Communist Party of China), in which he wrote that strengthening relations between the countries is a “unwavering commitment”. Earlier, Xi had sent a letter to Kim celebrating his in late February.
