# North Korea and Russia restore the Pyongyang-Moscow passenger rail link
A train carriage traveling from Pyongyang to Moscow arrived at Yaroslavsky Station on June 25, marking the return of direct passenger rail service between North Korea and Russia after a five-year pause during the pandemic.
According to TASS, the link resumed earlier in the month when a train departed Pyongyang on June 17. One carriage, painted in red, white and blue, crossed the border, continued to Ussuriysk as part of train No. 651, and was then attached to the Rossiya express train for the final leg to Moscow.
The arrival was symbolically important as much as operationally notable. A North Korean railway representative in Russia told reporters that the carriage carried no passengers on this first trip, only conductors, and said the crew was pleased to be back on the route. The official also said the newly introduced carriages are more advanced than previous models and include eco-friendly toilet systems.
The Pyongyang-Moscow service is being presented by officials as a sign of closer ties between the two countries. The same representative said the relaunch reflects the relationship between their leaders and described direct rail travel as the only way to move between the capitals by land. In that telling, the train is not merely a transport service but part of a broader political and diplomatic alignment.
TASS said the route is recognized as the world’s longest direct railway journey, stretching more than 10,000 kilometers and taking eight days to complete. Trains are scheduled to run twice a month, with passengers traveling in compartments provided by North Korea’s Ministry of Railways. Tickets will go on sale no earlier than 60 days before departure.
The restoration of the line also reopens a logistical corridor that had been closed since the pandemic disrupted international rail travel. For passengers, the route is unusual even by long-haul standards: it links the North Korean capital with Moscow through a journey that spans vast geography and multiple rail networks before reaching its destination.
The relaunch comes with strong symbolism for both sides. North Korean officials used the occasion to emphasize the significance of the rail link and the modernized rolling stock. Russian state media, meanwhile, framed the arrival as a concrete outcome of the two countries’ recent high-level contacts.
Even without passengers on the inaugural return carriage, the service’s resumption restores a rare direct overland connection between two capitals that have been politically closer in recent years. Whether the line becomes a practical option for regular travelers will depend on how quickly the new schedule settles into a predictable operating pattern.
