Kim Il Sung used a train during the Korean War as his headquarters, and continued the preference after the cessation of hostilities.

[citation needed] Kim Jong Il's preference for the railroad transport was due to his fear of flying.

The private trains still serve a network of 19 stations across North Korea (including some underground palaces only accessible by rail).

[citation needed] In December 2011, it was reported by North Korean television that Kim Jong Il died while on a train during a domestic trip.

[10][11] It is unknown what model or type the locomotives and passenger cars are, although it is strongly hinted to be China's DF8s and 25G rolling stocks respectively.

[14] While meeting Chinese officials in 2018, the receptionist carriage had a wide white interior which was ringed with pink couches.

Each armoured train has modern communications equipment, such as satellite phones, enabling the leader to obtain briefings and issue orders while traveling.

[13] Kim Il Sung's longest train journey took place in 1984 when he visited almost every socialist country in Eastern Europe.

[19] The train ride went via China, through the Soviet Union, with stops in Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Romania.

[23] In August 2011, Kim Jong Il visited Ulan-Ude, Russia, roughly 4,500 kilometres (2,800 mi) by train from Pyongyang.

This was confirmed when they met with General Secretary of the Communist Party Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.

In February 2019, Kim travelled by train to the Hanoi Summit, where he met with US President Donald Trump for talks about denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lifting sanctions against North Korea.