Transportation in Mongolia
Encyclopedia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
consists of a network of railways, roads, waterways, and airports.
Railways
Trans-Mongolian Railway
The Trans-Mongolian Railway connects Ulan-Ude, on the Trans-Baikal railway in Russia, with the Chinese city of Jining, by way of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia....
connects the Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
from Ulan Ude in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Erenhot
Erenhot
Erenhot is a city located in the Gobi Desert, in the Xilin Gol league of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China . It has 16,330 inhabitants and the elevation is...
and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
through the capital Ulan Bator. The Mongolian section of this line runs for 1110 km. A spur line connects Darkhan to the copper mines of Erdenet
Erdenet
Erdenet is the third-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of the aimag of Orkhon.Located in the northern part of the country, it lies in a valley between the Selenge and Orkhon rivers about 150 miles northwest of Ulan Bator, the capital...
; another spur line connects Ulaanbaatar with the coal mines of Baganuur. A separate railway line exists in the east of the country between Choibalsan and the Trans-Siberian at Borzya
Borzya
Borzya is a town and the administrative center of Borzinsky District of Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia. Population: -Geography:The town is located on the Borzya River, a right-hand tributary of the Onon, southeast of Chita about from the border of Mongolia to the south, and from the border of China...
; however, that line is closed to passengers beyond the Mongolian town of Chuluunkhoroot. For domestic transport, daily trains run from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan, Sukhbaatar, and Erdenet, as well as Zamyn-Üüd, Choir and Sainshand. Mongolia uses the (Russian gauge
Russian gauge
In railway terminology, Russian gauge refers to railway track with a gauge between 1,520 mm and . In a narrow sense as defined by Russian Railways it refers to gauge....
) track system. The total length of the system 1,810 km. In 2007, rail transport carried 93% of Mongolian freight and 43% of passenger turnover (in tons*km and passenger*km, respectively).
Roadways
In 2007, only about 2600 km of Mongolia's road network were paved. This included the roads from UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
to the Russian and Chinese borders, much of the road from Ulaanbaatar to Kharkhorin
Kharkhorin
Kharkhorin is a city and sum center in the Övörkhangai Province in Mongolia. Sum population was 13,828 , 13,964 , 13,496. Kharkhorin city population is 8,977 , city area is 20.5 km2....
and Arvaikheer and a partly parallel road from Lün
Lün
Lün is a sum of Töv Province in Mongolia. The Tuul River passes just west of the sum center....
to Dashinchilen
Dashinchilen
Dashinchilen is a sum of Bulgan Province in northern Mongolia. The population is about 2,300.-Notable people:*Sonomyn Udval -politician and writer...
, as well as the road from Darkhan
Darkhan
Darkhan is handicraftsman or honorary privilege in Mongolian language. It also refers a common Mongolian place name, specifying:in Mongolia:* Darkhan-Uul Province, an aimag * Darkhan , the capital of Darkhan-Uul Province...
to Bulgan
Bulgan (city)
Bulgan is a town, administrative centre of Bulgan province of Mongolia. Bulgan sum has a population of 11,984 , 12,323, town proper has a population of 11,198...
via Erdenet
Erdenet
Erdenet is the third-largest city in Mongolia and the capital of the aimag of Orkhon.Located in the northern part of the country, it lies in a valley between the Selenge and Orkhon rivers about 150 miles northwest of Ulan Bator, the capital...
. Another 3900 km are gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
ed or otherwise improved. The vast majority of Mongolia's official road network, some 40,000 km, are simple cross-country tracks. Construction is underway on an east-west road (the so-called Millennium Road) that incorporates the already existing road from Ulaanbaatar to Arvaikheer, and on the extension of the Darkhan-Bulgan road beyond Bulgan. Private bus and minibus companies offer service from Ulaanbaatar to most aimag
Aimag
Aimag is a Mongolian and Turkic word for a tribe.It is also used as a term for country subdivisions in Mongolia and China, see aimag .The name of the Aimak people in central Afghanistan derives from the same root....
centers.
Bus
Bus is main transportation in Ulan Bator. There is no set time table, but busses pass bus stops at approximately 15 minute intervals. Buses runs between 7:00am and 10:00pm.Taxi
In Mongolia ther are very few licensed taxis, but there are many unlicensed cars are that act as taxis. A typically fare is 500 tugriks per kilometer.Waterways
Mongolia has a total of 580 km of waterways, but only Lake Khövsgöl has ever been heavily used. The SelengeSelenga
The Selenge is a major river in Mongolia and Buryatia, Russia. Its source rivers are the Ider River and the Delgermörön river. It flows into Lake Baikal and has a length of 616 miles...
(270 km) and Orkhon (175 km) rivers are navigable but carry little traffic, although a customs boat patrols the Selenge to the Russian border. Lake Khovsgol has charter boats for tourists. The lakes and rivers freeze over in the winter and are usually open between May and September.
Air transportation
Chinggis Khaan International Airport
Chinggis Khaan International Airport
Chinggis Khaan International Airport is the international airport serving Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is 18 km southwest of the capital. It is the largest international air facility in the country...
outside of Ulaanbaatar is the only airport in Mongolia that offers international flights. Direct flights are available from Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Hohhot
Hohhot
Hohhot , is a city in north-central China and the capital of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, serving as the region's administrative, economic, and cultural centre....
, Seoul, Ekaterinburg, and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Of the 32 remaining airports with unpaved runways, two of them have runways over 3047 metres (9,996.7 ft), three have runways between 2438–3047 m (7,998.7–9,996.7 ft), 24 have runways between 1524–2437 m (5,000–7,995.4 ft), two have runways between 914–1523 m (2,998.7–4,996.7 ft), and one has runway under 914 metres (2,998.7 ft). Mongolia also has one heliport
Heliport
A heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
.
Domestic carriers, as of 2007, include MIAT
MIAT Mongolian Airlines
MIAT Mongolian Airlines , Mongolian Civil Air Transport) is Mongolia's national airline, headquartered in the MIAT Building in Ulaanbataar, the capital...
, Aero Mongolia
Aero Mongolia
Aero Mongolia is one of the major airlines in Mongolia. Its head office is on the third floor of Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulan Bator. It operates domestic flights to eleven local destinations and operates international scheduled services to Irkutsk, Russia and Hohhot, Urumqi in China...
, and Eznis Airways
Eznis Airways
Eznis Airways LLC is a scheduled and charter airline based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is the largest domestic airline with services to a number of Mongolian domestic points, with an international route to China and Russia .With its main base located at...
. They offer service between Ulaanbaatar and some of the aimag
Aimag
Aimag is a Mongolian and Turkic word for a tribe.It is also used as a term for country subdivisions in Mongolia and China, see aimag .The name of the Aimak people in central Afghanistan derives from the same root....
centers.