Moscow: Passenger rail service between Pyongyang and Moscow resumed on Tuesday after a five-year suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian authorities confirmed Wednesday. The Russian Ministry of Transport announced that international carriages will now operate twice a month, with travel time slightly exceeding eight days across more than 10,000 kilometers (6200 miles)-the world's longest passenger rail route.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Russian Ministry of Transport expressed that this marks the first time in five years such a service has resumed. A collaboration between Russian Railways and North Korean counterparts has facilitated the revival of direct rail service between the two capitals. The train, composed of North Korean compartment carriages, will make stops in major Russian cities including Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk, Chita, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Kirov, and Kostroma.

Tickets for the journey from Pyongyang are available in the DPRK, while those for departures from Moscow and other Russian cities can be purchased at international ticket offices of the Federal Passenger Company, a subsidiary of Russian Railways. In addition to the Moscow route, a monthly Pyongyang-Khabarovsk train will begin operations on June 19, further enhancing connectivity between the two nations.

Passenger traffic between North Korea and Russia had been suspended in February 2020 due to pandemic-related border closures. However, by December 2024, limited rail connections were restored between Tumen in the DPRK and Khasan in Russia, setting the stage for the full resumption of the Pyongyang-Moscow line.