China launches first passenger train to North Korea in six years
Kyiv • UNN
The railway connection between Beijing and Pyongyang resumes on Thursday. Train K27 will arrive in the North Korean capital after a stop in Dandong.
The first passenger train between China and North Korea after a six-year hiatus is scheduled to depart from Beijing on Thursday, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
Details
This is part of a series of steps by China to strengthen cross-border infrastructure and restore bilateral ties.
According to a statement from China's railway administration published on Tuesday, train K27 from Beijing, which travels 24 hours and 41 minutes along the Bohai Sea coast with a stop in the border city of Dandong in the northeast of the country, is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang at 6:07 PM (09:07 GMT) on Friday.
China and North Korea are "friendly neighbors," and cross-border passenger rail service facilitates people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told reporters on Wednesday.
China also supports strengthening communication between the authorities of both sides to create more convenient conditions for bilateral personnel exchanges, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson added.
Rail service was suspended in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic erupted.
According to China's railway administration, the Beijing-Pyongyang route will operate four days a week in both directions: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The Dandong-Pyongyang route will operate daily in both directions.
Tickets for Thursday's trip, reserved only for business visa holders, were sold out, but tickets for March 18 were still available, a Beijing travel agency said.
The state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday that this route is intended to facilitate cross-border travel, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchanges.
Addition
North Korea is largely closed to foreign tourism, with the exception of a limited number of tourist groups from Russia who come under restricted rules, according to travel agencies that organize trips to the country.