Europe Trains Guide Forum

General discussion => Travel plans, routes and timetables => Topic started by: luticus on November 03, 2010, 10:39:33 am

Title: Direct sleeper Moscow to Pyongyang open to Western Travellers
Post by: luticus on November 03, 2010, 10:39:33 am
North Korea:  The weekly through sleeping-cars every Friday from Moscow to Pyongyang attached to the Moscow-Beijing train will be discontinued as from 16 October.  However, it's reported that the twice-monthly Moscow-Pyongyang sleepers attached to the Moscow-Vladivostok 'Rossiya' and crossing direct from Russia into North Korea may be increased in frequency and opened up to western travellers (except US ones) as a result.
*********************
Is it really this info ? If yes when we can travel from Russia to North Koreea via Usurjisk-Khasan ?
Title: Re: Direct sleeper Moscow to Pyongyang open to Western Travellers
Post by: tUt on November 03, 2010, 02:42:10 pm
Is it really this info ? If yes when we can travel from Russia to North Koreea via Usurjisk-Khasan ?
Well, in many cases it is not the best thing to trust the source from where you took this info or at least there is always a need to recheck it ;)
In this very case it is wrong because:
1) Pyongyang carriages via China are still running and you can purchase tickets for those, they are still in timetable (till 10/12, last departure dare before timetable change) etc.
2) No info whatsoever about such thing in Russian speaking internet or RZD/MZA websites.  RZD/MZA and Russian speaking forums would be exactly the place to search for such things, but your "source", as far as we know, doesn't even speak Russian to check it ;)
3) Huge changes like this usually not happen in the middle of the season.

Another inaccuracy is that Khasan-Tumangan crossing is closed for foreigners. It is not true, we know at least couple cases of successful border crossing there by non Russian/Korean citizens, exactly Moscow- Pyongyang carriage was used.
Title: Re: Direct sleeper Moscow to Pyongyang open to Western Travellers
Post by: luticus on November 03, 2010, 05:48:47 pm
Is it really this info ? If yes when we can travel from Russia to North Koreea via Usurjisk-Khasan ?
Well, in many cases it is not the best thing to trust the source from where you took this info or at least there is always a need to recheck it ;)
In this very case it is wrong because:
1) Pyongyang carriages via China are still running and you can purchase tickets for those, they are still in timetable (till 10/12, last departure dare before timetable change) etc.
2) No info whatsoever about such thing in Russian speaking internet or RZD/MZA websites.  RZD/MZA and Russian speaking forums would be exactly the place to search for such things, but your "source", as far as we know, doesn't even speak Russian to check it ;)
3) Huge changes like this usually not happen in the middle of the season.

Another inaccuracy is that Khasan-Tumangan crossing is closed for foreigners. It is not true, we know at least couple cases of successful border crossing there by non Russian/Korean citizens, exactly Moscow- Pyongyang carriage was used.
I used ***** where the info is News Alert !!
Title: Re: Direct sleeper Moscow to Pyongyang open to Western Travellers
Post by: tUt on November 03, 2010, 07:05:43 pm
I used ***** where the info is News Alert !!
We are pretty aware of what you've used  ;)
The point is that there is no decent proof of such thing, so we do not see any reason to advertise source of such misleading (at least for the moment) information.