They resume the train that connects Beijing and Pyongyang after six years

The first convoy is scheduled to depart from Beijing station at 17:26 local time (09.26 GMT). China State Railway Group plans trains in both directions four days a week between the capitals of the two countries and daily connections between the chinese city de Dandongin the northeastern province of Liaoning, and Pionyang.

The journey between Beijing and the North Korean capital is made with two international passenger cars coupled to existing trains within each country.

After leaving Beijing and passing through northeastern cities such as Tianjin y Shenyang, The carriages will arrive in Dandong, where they will connect with a train that will cross the border to the North Korean city of Sinuiju before continuing to Pyongyang, scheduled to arrive at 6:07 p.m. the next day.

According to information collected by the Chinese media Jimu Newstickets have already begun to be sold in person at several authorized points in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanhaiguan, Shenyang and Dandong.

Los Chinese tourists cannot apply for individual tourist visas in the North Korean diplomatic representations in China, so the majority of current buyers are North Korean citizens or Chinese travelers with business visas or other entry permits to the neighboring country.

Since the gradual reopening of borders after the pandemic, North Korea has allowed the entry of foreign tourists on a very limited basis and, until now, mainly from Russia, without yet authorizing the return of tourist groups from China, which represented the majority of its foreign visitors before the pandemic.

However, the reactivation of the railway line has also coincided with the appearance of Chinese travel agency offers what they advertise organized one-week circuits by North Korea starting in June, with prices of about 7,000 yuan ($1,019) per person, according to announcements spread on social networks, which could point to a possible reopening of the country to Chinese tourists in the short term.

China remains North Korea’s main trading partnera country with which it shares a border of more than 1,400 kilometers, in a context marked by international sanctions against Pyongyang and by the strengthening of its ties with Moscow.

Strengthening communication

The Chinese Government has supported this Thursday the strengthening communication between his State and North Korea to “create conditions that make bilateral movements more convenient”, at a time of closer relations with the resumption today of the railway service between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun declared today at a press conference that “China and North Korea are friendly neighbors” and that “maintaining the normal operation of passenger trains is of great importance to facilitate the exchange of people between both countries.”

Guo asserted that China supports that the relevant organizations of both parties “strengthen communication to create more convenient conditions for bilateral movements.”