For decades, North Korean leaders have relied on specialised trains for important international journeys and domestic tours. The trains used by the ruling Kim family are shrouded in mystery, equipped for security, comfort, and high-level work, making them essential for travel beyond the country’s borders as well as for demonstrating leadership at home.

Why does the leader use special trains?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, like his predecessors, prefers travelling by train, as reported by Yonhap news agency. On Monday, Kim left Pyongyang by train headed for Beijing, continuing the tradition of using these slower but secure vehicles which “offer a safer and more comfortable space for a large entourage, security guards, food and amenities, and a place to discuss agendas ahead of meetings, experts say.” Since 2011, Kim has made trips to China, Vietnam, and Russia using these specialised trains.

What features do the trains have?

The exact number of trains used by North Korean leaders is not known. According to Ahn Byung-min, a specialist on North Korean transport, multiple trains are often needed for protection. He explained these trains have “10 to 15 carriages each, some of which are used only by the leader, such as a bedroom, but others carry security guards and medical staff.”

Amenities also include space for “Kim's office, communications equipment, a restaurant, and several car transportation carriages for two armoured Mercedes.”

North Korean state TV released footage in 2018 which showed Kim meeting Chinese officials in a train carriage surrounded by pink couches. The office carriage featured “a desk and chair, and a map of China and the Korean peninsula on the wall.”

In 2020, viewers glimpsed another carriage with “flower-shaped lighting and zebra-printed fabric chairs” as Kim travelled to a typhoon-affected area.

The book "Orient Express" by Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky describes Kim Jong Il’s three-week train journey to Moscow. On board were “cases of Bordeaux and Beaujolais wine flown in from Paris, as were live lobsters,” highlighting the level of luxury sometimes found on these trips.

How do the trains cross borders?

When travelling to Russia, such as during the 2023 summit with President Putin, “wheel assemblies had to be reconfigured at a border station because the two countries use different rail gauges,” according to Ahn Byung-min.

No adjustment is needed for travel into China, but at the border, “a Chinese locomotive pulls the train once it crosses… because a local engineer knows the rail system and signals,” said Kim Han-tae, a former South Korean train engineer.

Most journeys to China use green DF11Z locomotives branded with the China Railway Corporation emblem, and “at least three different serial registration numbers.”

Ahn noted China usually selects engines marked 0001 or 0002 “reserved for the most senior officials.”

For Kim’s 2019 trip across China to meet US President Trump in Vietnam, “his train was pulled by a red-and-yellow locomotive emblazoned with China's national railway logo.”

These trains can reach speeds of up to 80 kph (50 mph) in China, compared to 45 kph (28 mph) on North Korean tracks.

Who travels by train in North Korea?

Kim Jong Un is not the first North Korean leader to use trains. His grandfather, Kim Il Sung, regularly travelled abroad using this method until his death in 1994.

Kim Jong Il, his father, relied exclusively on trains for three journeys to Russia, including a long “20,000 km trip to Moscow in 2001.”

He died following a heart attack while on one of his trains, and his personal carriage is now exhibited at his mausoleum.

The state's narrative often centres on the Kims undertaking lengthy train journeys to visit citizens across North Korea. In 2022, state TV showed Kim Jong Un involved in an “exhaustive train tour” to inspect agricultural crops and promote a “communist utopia.”