Eurasia Express train ends journey in Berlin

An inter-continental express train meant to promote peace and unity across Eurasia arrived in Berlin Thursday, the final destination of its 14,400-kilometer journey.

On board were 206 participants selected from various backgrounds and professions, who had left Seoul on July 14 to take part in the 17-day rail journey across six countries, including China, Russia and Poland.

The Eurasia Express was conceived by the Park Geun-hye administration as part of its ambitious "Eurasia Initiative," which aims to link energy and logistics infrastructure across Asia and Europe.

Critics have raised doubts about the success of the initiative, citing ongoing tensions with North Korea whose heavily fortified border with South Korea blocks any direct transportation link between the South and the rest of the Eurasian continent.

Travelers on the Eurasia Express had to fly to either Beijing or Vladivostok to board one of two trains before they combined in Irkutsk, Russia for the remainder of the journey through Moscow and Warsaw to Berlin.