A Russian Far East region hopes to start passenger railway service to North Korea to facilitate tourism before the end of this year, the regional chief official reportedly announced, adding that technical difficulties currently pose a roadblock to these plans.

Primorsky Krai is “working on the issue” of establishing a railway service “at least up to Rajin,” Governor Oleg Kozhemyako told journalists on Friday, according to the Russian outlet RBС.

“It will be good if the issue is solved this year,” he said.

Rajin is located on the DPRK’s east coast, just 30 km southwest of the Tumangang-Khasan