A Flickr user has uploaded some interesting pictures of North Korea’s railway system. These pictures show some North Korean entrepreneurs have co-opted unused railway assets for private economic activity:

This form of transport is known as “Torure” (도루레), and I recently had the chance to speak with a former resident of North Hamgyong Province who was able to share some of the basic details of how the operation works.

“Torure” train carts are built by de-facto private businessmen.  They transport passengers and cargo along railway tracks and are very common in North Hamgyong Province. Individuals pay a fare for the ride to the “conductor”. From the fees, the conductor takes his wages, covers the cost of the cart, and pays his operating costs, which includes safe passage payments to Korean People’s Army soldiers stationed every 3km along the tracks. Unfortunately, I was unable to learn how much the soldiers are paid and how these quantities are determined.

There is no posted schedule of when the carts leave or the routes they travel, but I am told departures and coverage are regular and wide enough that travel is popular and easy.

The cart itself is simple piece of technology.  It rolls downhill and is slowed by a friction brake system by the conductor. At the bottom of one hill, all the passengers will disembark and help push the cart up the next hill. Additionally, if a train is coming, all the passengers will help move the cart off the tracks so the train can pass.

Travel by this system is also convenient because passengers will not need to furnish a formal travel permit. As long as they can afford the fee, they are free to travel.

Photo credit: Siyang Xue

A Flickr user has uploaded some interesting pictures of North Korea’s railway system. These pictures show some North Korean entrepreneurs have co-opted unused railway assets for private economic activity: This form of transport is known as “Torure” (도루레), and I recently had the chance to speak with a former resident of North Hamgyong Province who was