The Trans-Siberian Railway is known around the world for its impressive length, but many don’t know that they can go further and enter one of the most dangerous countries on Earth
The world’s longest direct train journey takes eight days to reach its destination – and crosses into one of the world’s most secretive countries. Since June, direct passenger trains have been running from the Russian capital of Moscow all the way to North Korea’s Pyongyang.
Kim Jong-un’s hermit kingdom remains one of the most secretive – and feared – nations on Earth, with the tyrant’s iron fist seeing residents executed for the simple act of watching foreign TV.
That’s a staggering journey of 6,213 miles and makes it by far the longest train journey on Earth, according to the Guinness World Records.
A large portion of the trip uses the Trans-Siberian Railway, that runs across Russia from the capital Moscow in the west to Vladivostok in the east. Spanning a total of 9,288 kilometres (5,772 miles), that in itself is the longest single track in the entire world.
Passengers travelling from Russia to North Korea will travel in a specially-made carriage that is attached to the regular Trans-Siberian Railway service. Once arriving in Vladivostok, the carriage is then reattached to another train and carries on to Pyongyang.
These services were quite infrequent to begin with before being forced to grind to a total halt following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, however, the hermit kingdom has been trying to patch up its relationship with Russia, going as far as to send North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
Very few Westerners have dared to travel the full way from Moscow to Pyongyang. One group documented their trip back in 2018 and shared what the conditions on board have been like. As they boarded the train in Moscow, they explained that the dedicated Korean carriage was clear to see.
They claimed it was clear to see the train has not been kept in the best condition. “It was cold inside our compartment — no heating, maybe 10 degrees,” the travellers explained, adding that heating would not be turned on for several hours. “If it’s cold outside this period, the cars are individually heated with a coal stove, which is located in every car.
“However, individual heating requires that coal is available – and this was not the case in our North Korean sleeping car, but no problem, we had warm clothes.
“However, the water-boiler was working, so preparing tea, coffee and instant-noodles was possible.”
North Korea’s feared reputation is not without reason. The government is known to monitor all forms of communication by residents, to ensure there is no contact with the outside world. Thousands have been detained in “political prison camps” for “crimes” such as trying to flee the country or practising their religion.
Food is often withheld from the wider population, instead prioritising the elite and military. According to the UN, 10.7million, ore more than 40% of the entire population, are undernourished.
