North Korea International Trains
Bounded by China and Russia on the north and Republic of Korea on the south, there are international train routes connect North Korea with China, Russia and South Korea for passenger transfer and freight transport. To enter North Korea for tour, international travelers could only take trains departing from Beijing or Dandong in China, the train will take you to the capital city Pyongyang.
China
There are two routes between China and North Korea, Beijing - Pyongyang and Dandong - Pyongyang. Regrettably, they stopped service from January 2020 and when they will be resumed is still unknown.
There are 4 pairs of overnight trains between Beijing and Pyongyang each week. K27 (In China), 51 (In North Korea) departs from Beijing at 17:27 on each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. K28 (In China), 52 (In North Korea) departs from Pyongyang at 09:55 on each Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The total railway distance is 1,364 kilometers (848 miles) and journey time is 24 hours and 48 minutes for Beijing to Pyongyang and 22 hours 43 minutes for Pyongyang to Beijing.
The other train No. 95/51 and No. 52/85 between Dandong and Pyongyang are operated every day. No. 95 (In China), 52 (In North Korea) departs from Dandong every morning at 10:00, No. 51 (In North Korea), No. 85 (In China) departs from Pyongyang every morning at 10:25. Also the distance is only about 280km, the journey time is 6-7 hours one way due to the immigration checking at Sinuiju.
Russia
The North Korea - Russia Railway Bridge over the Tumen River connects the railway from Rajin to Russia. There are also trains from Pyongyang to Moscow. International trains from North Korea could be connected to Russian railway transportation system via the North Korean-Russian Railway Bridge. While, since North Korean Railway has a standard gauge of 1,435mm, a replacement to Russian-style 1,524mm wide-gauge will be made at the border station Tumangang Station, after transferring to the Russian gauge, the train can enter the railway in Russia, and connect with the Vladivostok-Moscow train at the Ussuriysk station then go to Khabarovsk or Moscow.
The North Korea-Russia Railway (Tumen River) Bridge was built during the Korean War. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the Soviet Union built the Railway Bridge (known as the Friendship Bridge in North Korea) for transporting military supplies to North Korea. The bridge was originally a temporary bridge during the war, so it was a wooden bridge at that time. In year 1954, the Soviet Union converted the bridge into a steel truss bridge.
From 2013, in order to develop the port in Rason area, Russia has refurbished the railway from Hassan Town to Rajin. After the renovation, the speed limit was increased to 60KM/H. Both standard gauge and Russian wide gauge trains can reach Rajin Port from Hassan, Russia.
South Korea
The Gyeongui Line, which was completed in 1905, stretched from Seoul in the south to Sinuiju in the north, with a total length of 499km. It was the main railway line on the Korean Peninsula. It ceased operation during the Korean War in June 1951. The East China Sea Line, which runs through the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, was opened in 1937, with a total length of 192.7 kilometers, and ceased operation in 1950.
The freight rail service between South Korea and the Kaesong Industrial Park started in 2000. However, North Korea closed the industrial park in 2008, after that this railway and freight services were also suspended.
International Trains from/to China | K3/K4: | K19/K20: | K23/K24: |
| K27/K28: | T8701/T8702: | 4652/4653: Hohhot → Ulaanbaatar |
| Z5/Z6: | K9795/K9796: Urumqi - Almaty | |
| D87/D88: Kunming - Vientiane |
International railways under construction/planning from China to:
- Last updated on Nov. 14, 2024 by Grace Yang -