Russian Railways has announced that the passenger train service between Moscow and Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, will resume on 17 June 2025, after a five-year suspension due to COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement, finalized with North Korea’s railway ministry, revives the world’s longest direct rail route, spanning over 10,000 kilometres and taking eight days to complete. This historic service, operated by the Korean State Railways in collaboration with Russian Railways, will run twice monthly, offering travellers a unique journey through Russia’s vast landscapes and into the reclusive nation of North Korea.
The first train will depart Pyongyang on 17 June arriving in Moscow on 25 June. The return journey will leave Moscow on 26 June, reaching Pyongyang on 4 July. The second monthly service will depart Pyongyang on 3 July, arriving in Moscow on 11 July, with the return trip starting on 12 July and concluding on 20 July. This schedule will repeat monthly, with the train stopping at approximately 12 Russian cities, including Chita, Irkutsk, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Yekaterinburg. For the Moscow-Pyongyang route, a North Korean passenger car will be attached to the standard Moscow-Vladivostok train and then transferred to another train to complete the journey to Pyongyang.
Additionally, a new monthly service connecting Pyongyang and Khabarovsk, a city in Russia located near China’s northeastern border, will commence on 19 June 2025. However, this train will depart Pyongyang on the 19th of each month, providing another link between the two nations. Tickets for both routes will soon be available, with reservations opening up to 60 days in advance, allowing travellers to secure their spots on this journey.
Currently, there is a passenger train service already operating between Vladivostok, located in Russia’s Far East, and Rason, a port city in North Korea. Additionally, the two countries have interconnected freight rail networks, though Russia doesn’t release information on the volume of cargo traffic.
Rail connections between Russia and North Korea have a complex history. Passenger services were halted in 2020 when North Korea closed its borders during the pandemic, preventing even its citizens from re-entering. Limited freight rail operations resumed in 2022, with the re-opening of a route over the Tumen River, linking Russia’s Khasan Station with North Korea’s Tumangang Station. Then, in May 2023, an extra charter service was added, connecting Vladivostok, Russia, to Tumangang, North Korea. This re-establishment of transportation links indicates continued diplomatic and economic interactions between the two nations.
