North Korea’s railway network and border railway bridges are more than just means of transportation — they are a strategic asset closely tied to the national economy, diplomatic relations and structure of foreign trade. North Korea’s railroad network is a standard-gauge railway centered on Pyongyang, connecting the country’s cities and resource zones. North Korea uses it to transport people and cargo and support domestic industries more efficiently.
Analysis of North Korea’s railroad system and its border bridges shows that the country continues to maintain its domestic railway lines and tracks connecting it to China and Russia. Images also clearly confirm that railways and roads connecting North and South Korea have been cut. The blocking of roads and railways between the two Koreas appears to be a measure to intentionally sever connections between North and South and fortify the inter-Korean demilitarized zone.
North Korea’s railway lines and border bridges
North Korea’s railway network extends radially from Pyongyang, forming the nation’s railroad infrastructure. The main lines extending from Pyongyang link industrial and resource zones nationwide, forming an optimized network for moving large quantities over long distances. The system also connects to external trade and international railway networks via border crossings with South Korea, China and Russia. We downloaded geographic information system (GIS) data on North Korea’s railway lines from OpenStreetMap.
Four railway crossings to China, one to Russia and two to South Korea can be seen in geographic data from OpenStreetMap and elsewhere. The four railway connections with China, including the Sinuiju-Dandong route, physically connect North Korea with China’s railway network. North Korea’s rail connection to Russia is over the Korea-Russia Friendship Bridge that crosses the Tumen River. The only railway bridge connecting North Korea and Russia, this span is geopolitically and economically significant, providing a transportation route that enables North Korea to engage in international trade via railway links to Russia.
Yalu River Railway Bridge
The Yalu River Railway Bridge is a representative border bridge linking Dandong, Liaoning province, in China, with Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, in North Korea. It carries both railway and road traffic. The bridge, built during the Japanese colonial era, has long served as a hub for material and personal exchanges. Originally, there were two bridges, both of which were bombed by U.N. forces during the Korean War and destroyed; China later restored one of the 950-meter spans for use as the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge. The other was left destroyed and preserved as a war memorial — Chinese tourists can walk along the parts still standing.
The Yalu River Railway Bridge has been plagued by complaints over its structural limitations and age. It was built long ago, carries a single line, and faces width and capacity constraints, complicating the large-scale movement of cargo and traffic. Observers say the bridge cannot handle current logistical demand, let alone future demand.
Chongsu Railway Bridge and Manpo Railway Bridge
The Chongsu Bridge is a rail connection across the Yalu River linking Chongsu township in Sakju county, North Korea, with the city of Tonghua in Jilin province, China. It is located about 58 kilometers northeast of the Yalu River Railway Bridge, another major railway crossing linking North Korea and China. The bridge, the nearby marshalling yard, and the Chinese side all have various railway facilities and infrastructure, but they are small in scale. Articles analyzing satellite images rarely report traffic on the bridge. This is to say, it sees little meaningful international cargo or passenger traffic. This suggests that the Chongsu Bridge is not used as a major rail or logistics route between the two countries, but instead plays a limited secondary role. Use of the bridge could increase if the region’s industrial development or infrastructure improves.
The Manpo Railway Bridge is a border bridge over the Yalu River connecting Ji’an, Jilin province, China, with Manpo, Jagang province, North Korea. The single-track, 580-meter span was built during the Japanese colonial era. The bridge is an important piece of border infrastructure linking China’s and North Korea’s railway networks in the middle stretch of the Yalu River, carrying rail cargo and passengers between the two countries.
Namyang Railway Bridge and Tumen Railway Bridge
The Namyang Railway Bridge crosses the Tumen River, linking Namyang township in Onsong county, North Hamgyong province, with the city of Tumen in China’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. The bridge carries mostly freight rather than passenger traffic. The function and role of the bridge could change depending on structural factors, including expanded railway service and trade between North Korea and China, improvements to the border customs system, and the political and sanctions environment.
The Tumen River Railway Bridge — linking Tumangang Station in Rason, North Korea, with Khasan Station in the Russian Far East — is the only railway connection between North Korea and Russia. The bridge was designed to carry mostly rail traffic. However, construction is underway on a new parallel bridge to carry road traffic. The 950 to 1,000-meter road bridge, agreed upon during the 2004 North Korea-Russia summit, is slated for completion around June of this year. When completed, the new bridge will enable large-vehicle and car traffic across the border, potentially diversifying cargo and passenger traffic. The substantive impact of this transformation could depend on outside factors, including international sanctions, global supply chains and the policy directions of the two nations.
Gyeongui and Donghae lines
The Gyeongui and Donghae railway lines follow the western and eastern coasts of the Korean Peninsula, linking Seoul with Sinuiju and Wonsan. Before the division of Korea, they were major railway lines linking the Korean Peninsula from north to south. The Gyeongui line was a railway axis that connected Seoul to Kaesong, Pyongyang, Sinuiju and China, while the Donghae line followed the East Sea coast, linking Gangneung with the Kumgang Mountains and the Tumen River.
Since 2024, North Korea has gradually implemented measures to physically sever overland connections between North and South Korea and bolster the closure of the “southern border.” Accordingly, the authorities blew up parts of roads and railways linking the North and South, including the Gyeongui and Donghae lines, and removed traces of the routes. They also fortified the frontier, including the placement of anti-tank barriers and landmines. The stretches of the Gyeongui and Donghae lines that connected the North and South — which served as the basis of cooperation between the two Koreas — have effectively been sealed. This move appears to reflect the state of political and security tensions between the two Koreas, and without changes in inter-Korean relations and the international situation, the railway is unlikely to be restored.
Forecast of North Korea’s border railway operations
Railway connections between North Korea and China were limited after the practical sealing of the border during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, small signs of moves to restart bilateral trade have emerged. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, all rail and road connections were severed under North Korea’s “zero COVID” policy, but afterwards, border trade has slowly recovered. Signs emerged in late 2023 and 2024 of freight service restarting on major trade routes, including the Sinuiju-Dandong line, and trade volume recovering.
However, it remains too early to say that rail service between North Korea and China has returned to normal, or that passenger and cargo transport has restarted in earnest. The two nations have yet to officially announce a restart of regular passenger service or the normalization of railway transportation networks. Transportation standards and operational frequency appear to remain in a state of adjustment due to quarantine, customs and policy factors. Activation of logistics and trade based on North Korea-China railways will largely depend on a complex set of factors and variables, including the refurbishment of customs systems, bilateral cooperation and international sanctions.
