Pyongyang Public Transport EXPLAINED | Taxis, Trams & Trolleybuses
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- The Taxis, Trams and Trolleybuses that grace the streets of the DPRK's capital, Pyongyang, are some of the most popular ways to navigate the city for locals. Along with the Pyongyang metro, these networks carry the citizens of Pyongyang around their home city - but what do these networks look like?
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Patreon: www.patreon.com/dprkexplained
Twitter: @BenWestonDPRK
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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Trolleybuses
06:06 Trams
09:36 Taxis
10:23 Outro
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🎵 Music:
Wangjaesan Light Music Band:
해당화 - Wild Roses
종다리 - Skylark
생이란 무엇인가 - What is Life
병사는 벼이삭 설레니는 소리를 듣네 - The Soldier Heard Rice Ears Rustling
그대가 나에게 준것은 - What You Have Given Me
내 이름 묻지 마세요 - Don't Ask My Name
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#NorthKorea #DPRK #Pyongyang
![Would You Fall for It? [ST08]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n94-_yE4IeU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Would You Fall for It? [ST08]](/img/tr.png)
It's so sad you forgot to mention, that Pyongyang has the oldest running trolleybus in the world. It has gone 8 million kilometers, and has 161 "5만" stars. The model is called Chollima 9.25, tail number 3. The reason why Korean people keep it running for more than 50 years is that comrade Kim Il Sung once traveled in it.
8 000 000 km? That would be something around 400 km every day in these 56 years. (if
the average speed would be for example 30 km/h, then it would be around 13 hours of constant running every day). I think it is more likely 3 000 000 km I found on some websites. That would be more realistic because then it is "only" 150 km per day.
The websites I referring to are Polish wikipedia and some random noname wiki :D
Even on the picture of that trolleybus I found is number of stars equal to something around 3 000 000 km.
@@geography_czek5699 I'm sorry if I'm wrong, I got information from this video: th-cam.com/video/D8yj6HwfY54/w-d-xo.html
Yeah, it's in Russian language, sorry again.
Oh, and tail number is 903. I made a mistake
The opening title shot with the words behind the Juche Tower was super cool and the combination of the explanatory animations for each line with street footage was also really engaging. All in all, it was a very calming and informative video, thank you!
You should move to NK :)
As a South Korean, the North Korean transportation system shown in the video looks like the 70s in the south. Originally, it was the same country, the same Korean people. It's a pity that the difference is so wide.
I don't know if you're just very interested in the DPRK or a state-affiliated channel but regardless this insight into North Korean life is very valuable and provides a good insight into the country for English speakers
I really like trolley busses, I honestly think they’re the best public transportation method behind trains/trams, and over busses. So it was really cool to learn Pyongyang has such an extensive network. If i may ask: you’ve done quite a few videos about Pyongyang’s public transit, could you (at some point in the future) look at the transit for other dprk cities? I think it would be a really interesting learning experience to hear about places that aren’t in the capital.
That is an option, I’ll see what information I can find out. I know there are some old KCTV reports about trolleybuses in Wonsan and there’s a tram network in Chongjin
Have you ever had to use trolley busses everyday? :D Well I have and I do not like them as much as it happens fairly often that for one or another reason one of the tentacles comes off the electricity line and then the bus is stuck for several minutes before it gets realigned again. And yes it also happens to modern trolley busses. Not so fun if you run late for work or school xD
I’m not sure I’d call 3 tram lines and 10 trolley bus lines an “extensive” network for a city of 2.8 million, but still interesting nonetheless
@@crazyoncoffee I mean it is for where I am at, and most cities within a thousand kilometers of me. but it may be different where you are
@@crazyoncoffee All we got by me is buses. I'd love to have some more alternatives.
Public Transportation in Korea has always intrigued me, i have a book written in Japanese about the Korean railways and trams
Would you happen to know the title of that book? Japanese is my second language and I'm looking for more transportation related books to read lately. ありがとう
Very few channels give as deep an insight into the DPRK as this. Keep up the great work! 👏🏼
Such amazing videos! The videos, the animations, the explanation, everything is perfect! Thank you for showing us how the DPRK works! Looking forward to the next video! Cheers!
tfw a city that’s supposedly dirt poor has a better public transportation system than 95% of u.s. and canadian cities
There are some slight mentions of it in the comments, but all the "new" trams & trolleybuses are rebuilds of older vehicles. Some of the older trolleybuses (seen in other videos) were in very poor condition, operating very slowly and appearing to have no suspension. It looks like the new trolleybuses are at least in decent mechanical condition.
Thank you for details of the tram & trolleybus routes which I haven't seen anywhere previously.
Ding ding! I'm a tram and I approve this video! Great footage!
thanks for all the effort you put on in the making of these videos really appreciate it !
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos!
Awesome video. Could you make one about department stores or grocery shopping in the DPRK?
Super interesting. Thanks for yet another video. They don't come out nearly often enough!
Another excellent, informative and well produced video 👍
Great production quality and explanation as always!
Excellent well researched and detailed video, well done!
Brilliant presentation. I really love your work. Thanks again for the effort!!!
These videos are so educational! Thank you for helping me on my research papers.
I love seeing DPRK explained's high quality vids.
your editing is actually amazing. especially the parts with the map on the table
8:51 That little green tram is interesting, cause it doesn't look like an eastern bloc design at all. It has that German/Austrian/Swiss vibe to it. Almost looks like Zurich trams. It would be interesting to know how it got there
They are Swiss! Imported from Zurch indeed. Zurich type Be 4/4. Purchased by North Korea in 1995
So also the Czechoslovak Tatra trams look quite exotic in such a distant Asian country. Especially since these trams were created thanks to the American PCC license. Like classic trams in Brussels. Tatra trams still run in the former Soviet Union, but in the 1970s they also ran in Egypt, for example. These classic trams still run in Germany. From the Czech Republic and Germany, these used trams are also sold to many Eastern European cities, such as Romania or Ukraine. And also to Pyongyang 😁
Utterly fascinating. Thank you.
Such a great video! Loved the visuals, you always make great progress with the editing! 😁
Cheers! I'm very proud of how the maps came out in the end, so glad it's appreciated!
Very well made video .
A great little video.
I love your videos about the benefits of normal life experienced by DPRK citizens.
I just bought your shirt to represent and support your hard work. Keep it up!
I was waiting for your video
It makes me a bit sad to see the roads becoming more congested with vehicles. I've always been very impressed with their ability to maintain such quiet and easily traversable roads in a city of so many citizens! I hope they don't at some point also lose the traffic police (which could possibly be an interesting video topic as well).
Fantastic video as always, happy to be able to support you as a Patron and I encourage others to do the same if able. Your talent and obvious passion for sharing informative and unbiased content on the DPRK are more than deserving!
yeah yeah unbiased 🤣🤣
@@jeremiahberkshire5788 Berk by name, Berk by nature!
@@ridinwithjake What's the big thing about driving? Pollution is something you really like?
Yes, they should have roads with no vehicles. It is much more peaceful.
I'm more impressed by their desire to make so many damn stroads despite not even having that many drivers. Considering how little driving is in the city, their public transit is not that extensive. Well still better than some American cities.
Excellent video.
I'm surprised at how environmentally friendly the city is. Geo thermal power, electric trollies and trains, and very few cars (of course that's cause most people can't afford and/or not allowed to have one, but still).
Not geo thermal-just thermal. ie coal powered.
I loved your Pyongyang metro video so much that watching it several times wasn't enough (Could've spoken about Kwangmyong Station though) . I was WAITING for the other forms of Transport and it finally arrived.. thank you 😊
P.S please let us know if they're planning to extend the metro system
The omission of Kwangmyong-yok was the biggest regret I have from that video! 😂There is a map, somewhere, that I think I have of potential expansion routes. If I have it, it'll show up in a video at some point.
@@DPRKExplained Will be waiting for that video 😎
I just subscribed to this beautiful Channel
Even the North Koreans has better public transportation than the US
u should see Iran’s trains
I wish we had these kinds of systems in our city
The green trams are ex Zurich stock built in Switzerland.
Now this is how to start a morning.
Morning!
A video on bikes would be cool
Wow. The whole country is like a time capsule to 20th Century Soviet communism. Those are they exact same trams and trolley buses I used to ride in the early 1990's in Bucharest! All of that footage looks like it could have been shot in post-communist Bucharest 30 or so years ago!
Great video! Thank you for sharing your deep knowledge about the DPRK. It's a fascinating place.
Do you know how the bus and tram network deal with electricity load shedding, do you know if key infrastructure are being excluded and will be run on a priority line that still will have power?
i’ve seen some pics of conventional buses converted into trolley buses in Pyongyang, it happened to the Ikarus and Karosa models
glorious!
Nice Video Dude, but there is one point to improve. Please overlap the different Levels of Transportation to show how dense the network actually is at the end of the video. Its also better to see connections and so on. Carry On :)
I love Pyongyang, it vibes ✨
I'd love to spend a day hopping on and off trolleybuses, trams, and the subway!
Trolleybuses are less polluting than petrol or diesel buses. In that regard, the DPRK is far ahead of most countries.
In motion charging trolleybuses/hybrid trolleybuses that re in central and eastern europe re even more ahead than DPRK public transport.
@@antonnovotny4499 yes
Only someone could've explained this to the Moscow mayor 🥲
@@sannidhyabalkote9536 In Russia everything is possible for politicians, even calling the ocupation of ČSSR in 1968 the liberation.
@@sannidhyabalkote9536 The difference is in petrol reserves. If petrol is cheaper than industrial grade electricity and network maintenance, buses will prevail. But DPRK has no oil industry (despite discovering oil reserves recently). So it makes electric transport more viable.
@@user-ft9ul5ul5v they replaced them with battery buses....
Because of versatility
I like how the lines are at least somewhat in number order. My city’s bus routes are 22, 23, 29, 35, 49, 70 etc, seemingly random numbers. There was originally a plan for them but there may as well not be now because they’re so random.
Same!
Maybe because many original routes disappeared...
Thanks for sharing the nice parts of NK
I see a lot of bikes in this and other videos, I wonder what kind of bike infrastructure they have? do they all run on the sidewalks, or the streets, or are there dedicated lanes? dedicated routes? I'm curious. How prevalant are e-bikes? Are there cargo bikes?
I would also like to know this
Hello To Everyone From California USA
That moment when Pyongyang has somewhat better public transportation system than most Indonesian cities, even in Jakarta.
The green trams are old trams frpm Zurich, Switzerland.
fun fact: the Thongil 181 is literally just the Tatra KT8D5 with new bodywork.
Me: I should really start studying now
Also me:
Hello To Everyone
Great video as always! Where do you get all of your footage? It’s different from most footage of the DPRK by journalists. Would also be interested in learning about urbanism and housing in North Korea - I see a lot of the older housing is based on Soviet traditions, it would be cool to explore further
Shot on location in Pyongyang either by me or my colleague. The housing and urban expansion of Pyongyang is something I'd be interested in exploring. Especially with the newer developments on Ryomyong/Mirae St and the new districts being built right now along the Pothong River and in S E.Pyongyang.
@@DPRKExplained the newer housing would be cool, also how housing has changed throughout the different eras. Keep up the great work!
Shot on location?
I'm so glad I found this channel. A bit sad so many westerners couldn't care less about learning about any other country besides their own let alone NK.
I think that is the only trolley-bus 'overhead' maintenance vehicle that is actually a trolley-bus I have ever seen.
Awesome vehicles of Pyongyang!
This video makes Pyongyang look pleasant to live in lol
This video makes me want to move to Pyongyang
10 trolley bus lines and four tram lines is hardly something to brag about for such a big city. Even with the subway, it seems the system is in efficient for the number of people.
Funny to see Tatra trams and Berlin subway trains operating in Pyongyang. Here in Berlin we only phased out the last Tatra trams this year, for accessibility reasons and the same subway trains are still operating today. So Pyongyang isn't lagging behind in that area.
Only the system being expanded with a few more lines would probably good for a city of that size.
Great video..
As a Pt.2 or extension, do you have a similar breakdown of the bus fleet by type/manufacturer.
And any interior shots?
Finally what's the ticketing system like? Integrated/ smartcard/ pay driver.
And can tour groups go on trolleybus/tram or are they limited to the metro?
I recommend this website for the details around the buses: transphoto.org/list.php?cid=349&t=2
I believe it's a cash-payment system, although the Pyongyang metro recently introduced smartcards so, that could be rolled out further.
Tours can ride the trams and trolleybuses, but we charter them rather than riding alongside locals like you can on the metro.
@@DPRKExplained yes a friend visiting DPRK on an organised tour a few years ago was able to get a chartered ride on the oldest tram.
I presume you know that you can only visit DPRK on an organised tour and you must stay with the group & tour guides at all times. But as OP says, the guides are normally able to obtain a chartered ride on a tram or trolleybus if requested. There have been transport enthusiast tours in the past where you can experience riding numerous vehicles, but still as a restricted group tour.
The only smartcard payment on trolleybuses was introduced in Wonsan about last year. It works like the Pyongyang Metro; one tap = one ride, flat fare.
Most, or all (i don't know exactly) of the Tatra T4D are from my home Town. They are all unmodernised Trams, build before 1984.
NORTH KOREA IS BEAUTIFULL CITY
Lovely beautiful city
....very surprised you are not mentioning the old Volvo taxis!!
I liked it when he talked about Pysongyang pbulic transport.
Line 3 has changed its route via the new housing area.
Ah the expansion of Pyongyang makes it tricky to stay up to date! I bet they'll open new routes to Hwasong and Songhwa once those developments are up and running too!
6:00 hybrid service vehicle/public trolleybus.
Well spotted!
newest tram is acctualy rebuild T8 (tatra8) from Prague CKD
It will be funny to say you are riding Air Koryo but actually riding their taxis while drinking Air Koryo branded soft drinks
Pyongyang has better public trainsportatio that most of US cities
Oh, so many second hand Tatra trams 😍
What is the background song, it sound really fantastic and affinity
Few cars and lots of public transport? A place where you can just walk or ride a bike without constantly worrying about fast moving hunks of metal and death- sounds great- keep it that way- cars are inefficient, dangerous and make urban environments unpleasant to be in with all the noise and choking fumes, it would be nice to be able to just sit on a quiet street and people watch without being subjected to toxic smoke and loud noise! Cars are for long distances, the need for a car in a well-planned city should be very rare- trams, subways, trains and buses don't clog streets and create traffic flow problems the way cars do either!
Don't be seduced by the "freedom" cars bring because they come with many problems and once you adapt your city to cars it is hard to undo it again- they become a societal addiction and getting back your quiet, walkable, bikeable, well connected city back will be next to impossible!
Doesn't seem to be a diesel bus network for places not under the wire?What of suburban heavy rail and ferries? Although I think that I did spot a diesel bus at the end going around that corner.
Hmmmm I'm wondering how money and transportation works in the DPRK in general as well as in Pyongyang specifically. Is any of it subsidized or is most of it subsidized? If money passes hands per journey, what is the average cost of say a mile distance in each of the different forms of transport ? ? ?
Better public transit then LA 😂
Crazy to think that the same Ikarus buses and Tatra trams are still running in Hungary.
The fact that Pyongyang has better public transport than LA just shows how bad the USA is getting
Thats because no one can afford a vehicle idiot with the amount of people there would be congestion just like any other Major city
@@randymoran67 Car centric planning isn't the be all end all, Amsterdam has shown you can reduce congestion pretty easy if you don't make cars the best option for commuting, something london keeps trying to emulate without putting effort into it.
For a city of 2.8 million people to only have 10 bus lines and you think that’s better than 200 lines that LA has? I hope you’re joking
@@crazyoncoffee it has more than ten bus lines, these are trolley busses, which are more efficent and green. Normal busses still exist on different routes.
@@crazyoncoffee La is also like 3 times as big
How do they pay? Tokens, paper tickets, cards with magnetic strips or rfid?
I love all the old trams and trolley buses.......please don't get rid of them. We miss them in America 😕
Damn their tram system is actually really long, covering almost the entirety of the city, no wonder people would prefer public transport (cheaper, more convenient and theirs alot of them to chose from, easier access...)
Some Dutch style cycling infra would be good. As well as a general upgrade and expansion of the public transport system. A lot of the streets are so wide and car centric.
This system of public transport wouldn't work in American or Canadian cities because most people don't want to live in high-rise apartment buildings. We prefer detached houses. That creates urban sprawl. Hence the need for cars. I don't see anyway around private automobile ownership here. I would love public transit options but it's just not feasible for us.
This is like watching a video from some alternate universe
When Pyongyang has way better transportation system than Manila:
I noticed no transport service goes to Sunan Airport. For people flying in and out of the city would they be basically forced to use a taxi, or is there some other means of getting from the airport to the city?
There's a Korean State Railway line that runs through Sunan, also there is a network of typical motor buses that I haven't covered here (just because of it's extent) and so I believe there is a route which covers Sunan
All tourists are on organised tours which arrange pickups using buses or minibuses.
Are normal residents even allowed to travel outside the country? Very, very few would be able to afford to do so anyway.
@@kc3302 I’ve seen on videos of Air Koryo flights plenty of locals, the flights are certainly not 100% tourists. I can’t say who these people are or what they do in other countries but they are traveling outside the DPRK.
@@kc3302 In fact yes, Chinese custom data (which is publicly available) showed over 20000 people from the DPRK entered the country in 2019. Not that much relatively, but they can go, especially for trade
10:10 I noticed that there are lots of minibuses and minivans throughout the video.
Are they public transport or private vehicles?
I believe some are taxis, others are private vehicles. Not sure there is a consistent throughline
really reminds me of jay foreman..
I wonder where the sources of all this videos are coming from.
Its very interesting that these are exactly the same tram models wich driven in Berlin in the GDR to the year 2015. Maybe Berlin sold this trams?
When I see this video. It looks more free than the GDR. Look there are imported cars. They weren't in the GDR.
All of Pyongyang subway cars have been imported from Berlin, so it isn't unlikely some trams came from there as well. Would be hard to confirm it though
@@professormicron6470 Yes. Its true. Interesting is that Pyongyang imported the Western-Berlin Subway Cars. Not the GDR ones. But the Tatra Trams were great and had very less problems.
Yes it also could be that Berlin sold the Tatra Trams so Pyongyang.
2:50 Electric bike oO
1:14 Being from the Bay Area, hearing the sound of the cables rattling as the bus goes by immediately makes my brain think I’m in San Francisco
I wish I could find telegram groups or something that showed off the DPRK more, or gave more information into their history/ideology
consider reaching the embassy in your country and they usually gladly provide email news subscription. If you live in USA you can reach to DPRK embassy in UK
oh wow, this has change all my mind thought about the NK, what I heard from SK is that the NK doesn't have any transport such as buses or any public transport, mostly are by bicycle and foot-walking, mostly are mention about how poor the NK. But after watching this videos, it has already take me to another world and I found out that everything that they let us know are somehow not 100% true. Thank you for bringing me to another world seeing how beautiful NK are. (I can't go to NK now after the incident in Malaysia ;-;)
please upload the background music. Thank you
Ikarus 260T and Ikarus 280T Trolleybuses service Running is Pyongyang?