By Ian Werther in News — 13 Mar 2026

Beijing to Pyongyang Rail Service Resumes After Six-Year COVID-19 Disruption

A Beijing–Pyongyang international passenger train has resumed service for the first time in six years, after the COVID-19 disruption. The 16-car green passenger train includes a rear section of two white cars, and it is mainly used to transport North Korean diplomats to Pyongyang. On Beijing’s platform, a crowd of reporters pressed in, while Chinese security personnel restricted access to the North Korea–bound cars.

The service is open to foreign travelers, but it operates only up to the Chinese border city of Dandong. Crossing the Yalu River into North Korea requires a North Korean visa, and the interiors show the green cars leading to the Pyongyang-bound section, whose doorway is kept closed. A train-ticket window at Beijing Railway Station lists the departure time as 5:26 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with an overnight journey to Pyongyang arriving around 6 p.m. the following day.

Northen Beijing Church, the biggest church in Beijing which was build in 1703. Here, the correlation and collocation between the Chinese and the European architectures present a unique style. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

On the same day, a return service runs in the opposite direction, with a Pyongyang-origin train heading back toward Beijing. The revival of North Korea–China international rail passenger service ends a six-year hiatus caused by the pandemic and related restrictions.

Chinese officials framed the development as a practical step in normalizing cross-border movement between the two countries. A Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that China and North Korea are friendly neighbors and that regular passenger trains help facilitate people-to-people exchanges, signaling a measured, practical easing of routine contacts.

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Olympic Closing Ceremony - 24 August 2008
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) provides soldier-athletes the opportunity to compete toward qualifying for the United States Olympic team. Qualified soldiers must be nationally ranked in their chosen sport and be certified by the United States Olympic Committee at a world class level. Athletes join the program at least three years before the Olympic Trials. To be eligible for the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, soldiers must currently be a member of the Active Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. Soldiers must also be eligible to represent the USA in international competitions and demonstrate the potential to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team or U.S. Paralympic Team.

www.armymwr.com — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Observers say the resumed service points to closer Beijing–Pyongyang ties and could influence regional diplomacy surrounding the Korean Peninsula. The timing coincides with high-level discussions between Washington and Beijing on Korea-related issues, and it signals Beijing’s willingness to maintain open channels with Pyongyang amid ongoing sanctions and diplomacy.

For U.S. readers, the development matters because it touches on how North Korea and its only major regional ally accommodate diplomatic and diplomatic-administrative travel, even as sanctions remain in place. It also reflects China’s role in shaping stability on the Korean Peninsula, with potential implications for regional security, supply chains, and broader U.S. policy calculations toward North Korea and Northeast Asia.

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