Beijing: Train service linking Pyongyang and Beijing will resume this week for the first time since it was suspended six years ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sources said Tuesday. The Beijing-Pyongyang train route will resume operations Thursday, running four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, an official at China State Railway Group told Yonhap News Agency.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the train will depart from Beijing at 5:26 p.m. and arrive in Pyongyang at 6 p.m. the following day, with a stop at the Chinese border city of Dandong. The last two train cars will be reserved for passengers, marking the first cross-border train service between the two countries since operations were halted following the pandemic outbreak.

Last year, North Korea resumed direct flight and train services between Pyongyang and Moscow, Russia's capital. The Chinese official noted that the upcoming Beijing-Pyongyang train will primarily serve diplomats and those on official business trips, while plans to accommodate general passengers will be considered if empty seats are available.