International passenger train service links China, DPRK

SHENYANG, March 12 (Xinhua) -- An international passenger train linking Dandong in northeast China's Liaoning Province with Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), began service on Thursday.

The train, consisting of five passenger carriages, departed from the border city of Dandong at 10 a.m. (Beijing Time) and is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang at 6:07 p.m. local time.

At the international departure hall at Dandong railway station, train schedules, electronic screens and service counters featured displays in both Korean and Chinese.

"I'm very excited to return home by train today," said a DPRK passenger, who bought her ticket on Wednesday after learning about the service.

Song Ping, a staff member with the Dandong exit-entry frontier inspection station, said authorities had introduced measures to ensure smooth clearance on the first day of operations. The inspection process for the entire train has been shortened to within 30 minutes, he noted.

The passenger service will operate daily in both directions. The train departing from Pyongyang leaves at 10:26 a.m. local time and is set to arrive in Dandong at 4:23 p.m. (Beijing Time).

An executive from the international department of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said this train service will serve as both a vital window for cross-border travelers and a dynamic link strengthening the friendship between these two nations.