Beijing-Pyongyang Train Resumes After Six-Year Suspension

The passenger train service between Beijing and Pyongyang resumed on Thursday after a six-year suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, marking a key step in reconnecting China and North Korea. Train K27 departed Beijing Railway Station, carrying passengers with business visas, and is scheduled to arrive in the North Korean capital on Friday evening following a journey of about 24 hours and 41 minutes.

The route travels northeast along China's coast, skirting the Bohai Sea with stops including Tianjin, before reaching Dandong, the border city on the Yalu River. There, the Beijing-bound carriages detach and connect to a separate train that crosses the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge into Sinuiju, North Korea, before proceeding to Pyongyang. A reciprocal train from Pyongyang arrived in Beijing early Friday, while the shorter Dandong-Pyongyang link began daily operations in both directions, with its inaugural departure from Dandong at 10 a.m. Thursday.

China Railway authorities announced the resumption earlier in the week, stating that the Beijing-Pyongyang service would run four days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Tickets for the initial trip sold out...