world longest rail service: new pictures of the N. Korean car

[gyuri_ft]

My friend, Helmut just returned from the trip using the world's longest train service run by ZC (Zoesen Chelto) N. Korean company: Moscow-Pyongyang. He was actually using it within Russia (and everyone can do the same, too - see earlier topics). The ticket is a great bargain by all means: a round-trip from Central Europe (Bratislava) is under 150 Euro (couch) + 200 Euro (two or three sleeper supplements, depending on the route).

As usual, families get even further dicount, the (obligatory) sleeper supplement being the "major" expense.

Here are the tickets (notice the pricing!!!)

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/sk/ticket...s_Ussuriisk.jpg

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/ticket...va_Tumangan.jpg

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/ticket...va_Tumangan.jpg

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/ticket...sk_Tumangan.jpg

Here are the pictures (notice, it's cold now in Siberia!):

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ne/North_Korea/pix.html

Here is the video:



The good about this car is, it's always next to the dining car. Of course, you have to love "salat s mayonnesom" or similar food.

The car is made in Korea and as it is evident from this picture

it is "MC"-qualified, so it is allowed to run in Europe where "widebody" (= US-streamliner-profile) will fit.

The design is obviously very much US (and also E. German, China, USSR)-inspired.

Warning: this thingy is called "titan":

there is tea or boiling hot water not coffee!!! Riding Amtrak countless times I got up in the morning just to get very frustrated and ruining my teabag because the same "thing" has coffee in the sleeper here in the U.S.

 

[MrFSS]

Interesting. Was the sleeping car full? Didn't seem to be any other people around.

 

[gyuri_ft]

Interesting. Was the sleeping car full? Didn't seem to be any other people around.

There seem to few Korean passengers there (the doors of the Russian car are closed, so all passengers on the picture are heading to N.K.)

and some luggage was even stored in the washroom.

The car did clearly see better days, but the beds and compartments are somewhat larger than in Russian cars (larger window spacing, I never seen this particular window spacing design variation - so regardless of the original blueprints the car is likely indeed made in NK). The winter over there is by no means a joke (uneder -30 Centigrade is common) and these cars are not breaking down - that is quite an achievement itself regardless, who is the car owner. Heating as well as AC also works obviously, otherwise this Korean pax would freeze in nanoseconds:

 

[yarrow]

fascinating pictures, thanks

 

[PerRock]

there is tea or boiling hot water not coffee!!! Riding Amtrak countless times I got up in the morning just to get very frustrated and ruining my teabag because the same "thing" has coffee in the sleeper here in the U.S.

Another Tea drinker I got arround that by buying a portable (Plug in) hot water coil thinginy (little coil of tubing that heats up water when plugged in) we rarely eat in the Dining car and bring most of our food with us and travel coach. so we usually go to the bathroom and use that outlet for heating the water (from the tap upstairs). I would advise you NOT to use the styrofoam cups and paper cones AMTK gives you. I haven't tried asking in the lounge/cafe for hot water.

Neat thing about the car.

peter

 

[jamesontheroad]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I don't think Helmut or his friend have been back recently.

In the OP to this thread - started back in 2007 - Helmut is described travelling 'domestically' (i.e. within Russia) on the twice monthly North Korean carriage that is attached to the 'Rossiya' from Moscow to Vladivostok. If you time your journey right and plan it carefully, you can actually travel across Russia on board this through carriage before it's uncoupled and continues on into the 'hermit state' of North Korea.

However last year he and his friend Oliver actually did the entire Moscow - Pyongyang trip on board this carriage. This is not the normal Beijing / Pyongyang route that is officially permitted for tourists, but the little known railroad that connects Russia and North Korea across their very short (~ 20km) border between Hasan / Tumangan. As far as I'm aware, no westerner has been able to do this trip since it was closed to tourists. They were able to see a vast swathe of the country from their train that is normally off-limits to tourists, and they did so without a guide or translator (who are obligatory companions on any visit to the country).

Helmut's awesome travelogue and incredible photographs are online here:

http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com/

...with the usual warnings! This is not an officially sanctioned or permitted entry point into North Korea, and I suspect Helmut and his friend managed it by combining excellent railway knowledge with good Russian and Korean language skills and very secretive trip planning (presumably obtaining a North Korean visa by booking entry to the country via another route).

Anyway, it's a great read, and I hope you enjoy it.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Someday I wanna try that one out-- but until then I still have five LD trains I have to try on, then the Canadian, and then my trip to Europe.