China-North Korea rail link resumes in both directions after six-year pause

International passenger rail service between China and North Korea resumed in both directions on December 12, six years after border closures tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Pyongyang-to-Beijing train, nine cars plus the locomotive, crossed the Amnok/Yalu River into China and arrived at Dandong Station in Liaoning Province at about 4:23 pm local time. The train had begun its journey in Pyongyang earlier that day.

From Dandong, the Pyongyang-bound service is scheduled to travel via Shenyang and Tianjin before reaching Beijing the following morning. Conversely, a train from Beijing toward Pyongyang left Beijing at 5:27 pm and is planned to pass through Shenyang and Tianjin to reach Pyongyang the next day.

Initial passenger numbers are expected to be limited. Officials said the service has been restored, but only travelers with official business invitations or business-related credentials are likely to be allowed to board at the outset. At the Dandong ticket desk, some remaining seats were still listed for the 13th and 14th, though a sleeper-only train typically holds few clearly available berths.

Tickets at the Dandong station’s official international rail office are available to passport-holders, the vendor said. Officials cautioned that early ridership will be constrained, and the actual number of passengers may be modest despite advertised remaining seats.

North Korea-related tourism is rising on the Chinese side, though officials stressed there was no broad reopening of ordinary tourism yet. Some wholesalers reported growing interest among North Korean workers returning home and mentioned popular gift items such as cosmetics and shampoo sets, priced around 70 yuan. Travel agencies have begun marketing North Korea itineraries, with packages advertised for April that include Pyongyang, Kaesong/Panmunjom, and Mount Myohyang, and higher-priced tours from June that purportedly cover areas including Unggi (Sinuiju) and Mount Kumgang. However, one local agency noted there has been no official confirmation that general tourism has resumed.

Analysts say the cross-border rail restart underscores China’s influence over North Korea at a time when Washington- Beijing diplomacy is poised to address the Korean issue. Observers pointed to the timing ahead of a U.S.–China meeting and a visit by a U.S. president to China, noting the trains could become a channel for broader North Korea-related dialogue.

Context for non-Korean readers: Dandong is a major Chinese border city opposite North Korea’s Sinŭiju, connected by the Yalu River bridge. The Beijing–Pyongyang corridor runs a four-times-per-week service, while the Dandong–Pyongyang route operates daily. North Korea closed its borders in 2020 amid the pandemic and has since moved cautiously toward expanded exchanges as part of its broader economic and diplomatic aims.