Train route between North Korea, Russia resumes in symbolic step for bilateral ties

The resumed route, which had been suspended since February 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has now been reinstated.

The train departed Pyongyang on June 17 and arrived at Moscow’s Yaroslavsky Railway Station eight days later, according to Russian media outlets RIA Novosti and TASS.

No passengers were on board, and only crew members reportedly traveled on this trip.

“The crew members were experienced operators of the route in the past, and they are pleased to be back at work,” said a North Korean railway official.

The train cars deployed for the route have been upgraded to modern standards, including new features such as eco-friendly toilets.

“We introduced new train cars last year, and the resumption of this route is one of the outcomes of the North Korea–Russia summit held in Pyongyang,” the official added.

“At present, rail is the only direct mode of transportation connecting Pyongyang and Moscow,” the official emphasized. “This train serves as a symbol of the friendly relations between the two countries.”

The Pyongyang–Moscow route is one of the longest passenger train journeys in the world, covering more than 10,000 kilometers (6,213 miles). Trains depart Pyongyang on the third and 17th of each month and arrive in Moscow on the 11th and 25th.

From Moscow, trains depart on the 12th and 26th and arrive in Pyongyang on the 20th and the fourth of the following month, respectively. Tickets go on sale 60 days prior to departure.

In a related move, Russia installed a commemorative plaque at Yaroslavsky Station in November last year to mark former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung’s historic visit to the Soviet Union. The plaque commemorates his arrival at the station in March 1949, during his first visit to the country as North Korea’s leader.