Ulaanbaatar, March 14, 2025 /MONTSAME/. On March 10, 2025, a Consultation Meeting between the members of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD) was held in Ulaanbaatar, the Capital City of Mongolia.

Members of the OSJD convene annually to discuss and coordinate the volume of international trade cargo to be transported by rail in the given year.

At the meeting, Minister of Road and Transport of Mongolia Delgersaikhan Borkhuu stated, “More than 200 delegates from 12 countries are participating in today’s meeting. Due to the pandemic, we previously held it online, but this year’s in-person gathering in Mongolia brings many advantages.

Following the pandemic, rail freight has grown rapidly. Since a number of countries may be nearing economic recession, delegates are working on increasing freight volume. We are specifically concentrating on boosting transit freight that passes through neighboring countries and beyond. Because global exports and imports may decrease, we are paying special attention to cost reduction.

This will allow us to increase both Mongolia’s freight volumes and those of other countries. In February of this year, an Agreement was established in Harbin, the People’s Republic of China, for the Gantsmod-Gashuunsukhait Cross-Border Railway. As soon as our parliamentary session begins on March 17, 2025, we will start the Agreement’s ratification process. Consequently, we will bring the railway into operation in a short time, linking four to five border checkpoints and expanding cargo volume. Under the Government of Mongolia’s “New Recovery Policy,” the government plans to construct 4,600 km of new railway, connect four new checkpoints by rail, and increase the cargo capacity of border checkpoints by two to three times.”

The “Ulaanbaatar Railway” Joint Venture (UBTZ) was among the initial 10 founding members of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways in 1956. UBTZ is working to capitalize on its position along the shortest corridor connecting Asia and Europe in order to increase transit freight.

D. Amarbayasgalan, Deputy Director for Transport and Traffic at the “Ulaanbaatar Railway” JVC, remarked, “We are holding this meeting to determine the volume of cargo to be transported through the fifth corridor of the member countries of the OSJD in 2025. A total of 34 million tons of freight is planned, of which 21 million tons will be foreign trade cargo—transit shipments passing through Mongolia, mining exports, and consumer goods including fuel, building materials, medicine, and food.

We will discuss what measures are necessary to transport these goods. We aim at maintaining transit cargo at last year’s level. UBTZ expects to move up to 50 million tons of cargo by 2030. To achieve this, we plan to double-track and electrify the railway, as well as increase its carrying capacity, throughput, and processing capabilities. For instance, this year we intend to overhaul 45 km of track and enhance the processing capacities of the Zamiin-Uud and Sukhbaatar border checkpoints.”

Participants from the Organization for Cooperation of Railways member states and UBTZ will deliberate in Ulaanbaatar on the volume and types of foreign trade cargo that will be transported in 2025 and will reach a mutual agreement.