The total length of the Tavantolgoi-Zuunbayan railroad is 414.6 km and the opening was held at its 290th km checkpoint. From this point, the first 50 km railway in the Tsogttsetsii direction of Umnugovi province construction will be situated, said the Chief Executive Officer of the Mongolian Railways SOE.

However, due to the increased traffic pressure caused by the Tavantolgoi railroad, it is necessary to reform the Sainshand-Zuunbayan 47 km railroad. According to the development plan, it will start its maintenance next year. Ulaanbaatar Railway JV will fund the required MNT 37.7 billion of the construction.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the Tavantolgoi-Zuunbayan railway that will be built under the “State railway policy” in Mandakh soum, Dornogobi province took place on Friday. President of Mongolia emphasized at the ceremony, “In this land-locked country, this infrastructure is important to the economy. Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC is investing in this project from its profits of 2018. This investment is not a foreign project, it is our income earned without a burden on foreign workers. This is what we are giving to ourselves.”

Zuunbayan is a village in Dornogovi province and is one of Sainshand soum's administrative districts. Currently, more than 3,000 people live in the area. It is expected that the population will grow 2-3 times and will become a major settlement center when the railway is completed.