Russia and North Korea plan to restart a direct passenger practice service between Moscow and the North Korean capital Pyongyang this month for the primary time since 2020, Russia’s state-owned rail monopoly stated on Monday.
Russian Railways stated it had agreed with North Korea’s railways ministry to renew a twice-monthly service between the 2 capitals on June 17, a journey it stated took eight days and which, at over 10,000 km (6,213 miles), was the longest direct rail journey on the planet.
One other service between Pyongyang and Khabarovsk, a Russian metropolis near China’s northeastern border, will restart two days later.
The providers will likely be operated by Korean State Railway, the state operator, and within the case of the Moscow-Pyongyang route will see a North Korean passenger railcar hitched to the common Moscow-Vladivostok service after which re-attached to a different practice.
Passenger rail visitors between Russia and North Korea was suspended in February 2020 on the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Moscow and Pyongyang have since ratcheted up cooperation, together with within the navy sphere since President Vladimir Putin and North Korean chief Kim Jong Un signed a complete strategic partnership treaty final yr.
North Korea confirmed in late April that it had despatched greater than 10,000 troops and weapons to Russia to help in its warfare in Ukraine, help which proved essential for Moscow in recapturing Russia’s western Kursk area from Ukraine.
The 2 nations already function a passenger rail service between Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East and Rason, a North Korean port metropolis.
The nations are additionally linked by freight rail networks, though Russia doesn’t disclose the dimensions of the cargo visitors.
