Exotic Railway Edition: Tiny Mongolia-China Coal Link

//Ed. Note: TNT continues reporting from Ulan Bator
this week.//


New rail link will connect Shiveekhuren in Mongolia
with Sekhe in China - location is just above the "C"
in "China" on the map. 


Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ During its regular meeting on August 1, the 
Cabinet assigned relevant Ministers to complete a railway construction 
in route  Shiveekhuren-Sekhe border checkpoint and put it into operation 
within next year.

The Cabinet made a decision to establish ‘Shiveekhuren Railway’ 
Company, incorporated with ‘Nariin Sukhait Railway’. Not less than 51 
percent of the company’s shares will be state-owned. In addition, it 
authorized ‘Mongolian Railways’ state-owned shareholding company to 
own the shares of state ownership in the company.
 
Embankment and foundation stage works of 13km rail track will be 
commenced within the third quarter of this year. The railway in route 
Shiveekhuren-Sekhe will create a possibility to export mining products
from Nariin Sukhait coalmine. Thanks to the railway it is expected 
three-fold increase in the border checkpoint capacity and transportation 
cost decrease. Currently, heavy-duty trucks transport 10-15 million tons 
of coal a year through Shiveekhuren-Sekhe border checkpoint. When the 
railway starts being operated, it will be possible to transport 25 million 
tons  of coal annually.


Steppe-by-steppe through the Gobi Desert.