Minister supports broad-gauge railway

Countering MPs who favor a narrow-gauge railroad, Minister for Road, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development Kh. Battulga has said the only option before landlocked Mongolia to link its economy with that of the world is to get an access to the Trans-Siberian Railway. That uses the broad gauge and so the proposed Tavantolgoi-Sainshand-Choibalsan railroad should be similar to facilitate export of natural resources, refined and raw, he said.

Some MPs have said connecting Tavantolgoi with China will only repeat “the mistake in the cashmere trade”. They also want Mongolia to end its dependence on China for 70-80 percent of the total food products it consumes. They also want a revival of the manufacturing sector.

Russia’s broad-gauge railways do not suit world practice but Mongolia is almost 100 percent dependent on Russia when it comes to petroleum. That factor has to be considered when the authorities take the final decision on the railway.

source:news.mn