Pyongyang: A passenger train service linking the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and Moscow will resume its operation next week after years of suspension over the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's state-run railway operator has said.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a railway service directly connecting the capitals of North Korea and Russia will start its operation on June 17 under an agreement with North Korea's railway authorities, the Russian Railways announced on its Telegram account Monday. The passenger train will operate twice per month on the route spanning more than 10,000 kilometers, with the journey taking eight days.
The Russian railway operator described it as "the world's longest direct train route." Trains bound for Moscow will depart from Pyongyang on the 3rd and 17th of every month, while services heading to Pyongyang will leave Moscow on the 12th and 26th of each month.
Additionally, another train service linking Pyongyang and Russia's Khabarovsk, a city near Russia's border with North Korea, will commence its once-per-month operation on June 19. This development comes as North Korea and Russia have been deepening their cooperation in fields such as the military and economy.
In May, the two countries held a ceremony in their respective border cities of Rason and Khasan to mark the launch of the construction of a road bridge linking the nations.