Passenger train service between Pyongyang and Beijing is set to resume this week, marking the first time in six years since its suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to sources reported on Tuesday.
The Beijing-Pyongyang train route will recommence operations on Thursday, running four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. An official from China State Railway Group confirmed the details to News Agency.
The train is scheduled to depart from Beijing at 5:26 p.m. and arrive in Pyongyang at 6 p.m. the following day, with a single stop at the Chinese border city of Dandong. Sources indicate that the last two train cars will be designated for passengers.
This resumption signifies the first cross-border train service between China and North Korea since the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent service suspension.
Last year, North Korea reinstated direct flight and train services between Pyongyang and Moscow, the Russian capital.
The Chinese official stated that the revived Beijing-Pyongyang train service will primarily cater to diplomats and individuals on official business. The possibility of accommodating general passengers will be considered based on seat availability.
China’s foreign ministry emphasized that the restoration of regular passenger train service between China and North Korea holds “significance” in facilitating personnel exchanges between the two nations.
“China supports creating more convenient conditions for both sides’ exchanges of personnel by strengthening communication between relevant authorities of the two nations,” stated Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson at the ministry, during a press briefing.
This development coincides with apparent efforts by North Korea and China to bolster cooperation amidst a volatile international landscape, underscored by recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
North Korea also seems to be seeking to expand cooperation with China amid speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump may seek to resume diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on the occasion of his planned trip to Beijing on March 31-April 2.
North Korea’s relationship with China, its traditional ally and economic benefactor, had cooled somewhat due to Pyongyang’s increasing military cooperation with Russia in the context of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held summit talks in Beijing in September of last year, coinciding with a Chinese military parade, to discuss avenues for improving bilateral relations.
However, relations between Pyongyang and Beijing do not appear to be restored in a full-fledged manner with no signs of high-level exchanges of personnel spotted.
