Dandong - Sinuiju - Pyongyang Train
History of China - North Korea Cross-boarding Train
At 10 am on January 1, 2013, with a whistle of locomotives, the No. 95 international multimodal passenger train from Dandong to Pyongyang departed from Dandong Station, which marked the entry of a new phase of China-North Korea rail combined transport.
Train No. 95/85, marked at Train No. 51/52 in North Korea, is an international passenger express train jointly operated by China Railway and Korean Railway from Dandong, the border city of Liaoning in the People’s Republic of China to Pyongyang, the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Train No. 95/85 has been in operation since April 1, 1954. It is the second international train to connect China and North Korea after train K27/28. Before year 2013, there were 4 pairs of China-North Korea international intermodal trains between Beijing-Dandong-Pyongyang every week. With the increase of tourist travelers and border trade between China and North Korea, Dandong-Pyongyang international passenger trains have been operated daily since January 1, 2013. The train departs from Dandong Station at 10:00 and arrives at Pyongyang Station in the capital of North Korea at 15:30 (Beijing time).
Basic Information
Normally, there are 3-5 hard sleeper coaches running on this route, when traveler amount increases, coaches would be added to 6-8. The train runs along the Shendan Railway(China) and P'yŏngŭi Line (North Korea), crossing four cities/areas of Sinuiju, Pyongan-Bukto, Pyongan-Namdo and Pyongyang within the territory of North Korea, covering a total distance of 228 km. From Dandong Station to Pyongyang Station, the train runs for 7 hours and 45 minutes, with train No. 95 in China and train No. 52 in North Korea; From Pyongyang Station to Dandong Station the train runs for 6 hours and 58 minutes, with train No. 51 in North Korea and No. 85 within China.
Chinese border inspection and customs are located in the international waiting room on the second floor of Dandong Station. Passengers go through immigration formalities before boarding or after getting off the train. After passing the Sino-DPRK Friendship Bridge, the train arrives at Sinuiju Youth Station, where the train would stop for a long time. The North Korean border guards enter the carriages for routine inspection and deal with the immigration procedures for travelers. The actual stopping time depends on the efficiency of the inspection. According to the timetable, the train from Sinuiju to Pyongyang takes 4 hours, but actually takes 6-7 hours.
Dandong Station's ticket office, waiting room, and platform are all hung with Korean signs. During the time when cross-boarding trains arrive and depart, the station broadcasting room uses Chinese, English, and Korean languages to broadcast.
Time Table for Train No. 95/85
Country | Train No. | Station | Arr. Time | Dep. Time | Stopping Time |
China | No. 95 | Dandong | - | 10:00 | - |
North Korea | No. 52 | Sinuiju | 11:10 | 13:09 | 119 min |
Tongrim | 14:12 | 14:29 | 17 min | ||
Chongju | 15:43 | 15:53 | 10 min | ||
Pyongyang | 18:45 | - | - |
Time Table for Train No. 51/85
Country | Train No. | Station | Arr. Time | Dep. Time | Stopping Time |
North Korea | No. 51 | Pyongyang | - | 10:25 | - |
Chongju | 13:11 | 13:17 | 6 min | ||
Tongrim | 14:27 | 14:31 | 4 min | ||
Sinuiju | 15:32 | 17:13 | 101 min | ||
China | No. 85 | Dandong | 16:23 | - | - |
Shenyang - Pyongyang Train
In year 2015, the Shenyang Railway Bureau opened a special North Korean tourist train departing from Shenyang (China). After departing from Shenyang Station, tourists transfer to train No. 95/85 at Dandong Station to enter North Korea.