In December 2023, the decision was made to construct a metro system in Ulaanbaatar, and the project has been progressing since a consortium led by South Korea’s Dohwa Engineering was selected through the consultancy services tender. We spoke with T. Munkhdalai, Metro Project Manager of the Project Unit for the Integrated Project to Reduce Traffic Congestion in Ulaanbaatar, to clarify several points regarding the project’s progress.

He emphasized that South Korea’s Dohwa Engineering will continue to provide consultancy services for up to two years even after the metro begins operation, and that the currently allocated budget of MNT 181 billion is sufficient.

Q: It was previously announced that geological drilling for the metro project in Ulaanbaatar would begin last June. What stage has this work reached now?

A: With regard to the progress of the metro project, the very first task is geological drilling. This is for investigation purposes and is intended to collect and analyze data on the bearing capacity of the ground along the alignment. Based on this, the metro tunnel structures will be planned and constructed in accordance with the ground conditions.

Within the framework of the project, vertical drilling to a depth of 30 meters below ground level is planned at 42 locations along the 18-kilometer route, at intervals of 500 meters. As of today, drilling has been fully completed at 40 locations, and site reinstatement has also been carried out.

The geological drilling has been conducted along Peace Avenue, from the Sonsgolon intersection (Tolgoit) to Amgalan Market, including locations such as Tavan Shar, 10th Microdistrict, State Department Store, the parking area next to Blue Sky Tower, Chuluun Ovoo, and most recently, from September 13 to October 2, at the location commonly referred to by residents as Bagshiin Deed. At these locations, drilling with a diameter of 100 mm was carried out.

Now, once the location of the maintenance depot is finalized, drilling and sampling will be conducted at two additional points.

At the drilling sites, a licensed Mongolian subcontractor has been carrying out the work, while engineers from South Korea’s Dohwa Engineering have been responsible for quality requirements and supervision. Drilling for mining and high-rise buildings is already common in Mongolia. However, since this particular drilling is intended for metro structures, the employees of the domestic subcontractor were provided with training before the work began.

In addition, a number of survey and study activities are being conducted within the project. Specifically, the study on the current conditions of traffic demand and travel patterns in Ulaanbaatar is being updated and carried out again. This study is being conducted by installing cameras at 58 major intersections and roads in the city and using artificial intelligence for traffic counting, as well as by having survey staff collect questionnaires from citizens. The study on current traffic demand and travel conditions has reached 53% completion and is expected to be completed this month.

Q: Will the metro infrastructure be built underground?

A: An 18-kilometer metro line will be constructed from Tolgoit to Amgalan. A comparative study is currently being carried out between two options: a mixed alignment and a fully underground alignment. The mixed option would place 7 kilometers underground in the city center and the remaining 11 kilometers above ground in the form of an elevated structure. The other option is to construct the entire 18-kilometer line underground.

In other words, the metro would either run underground through the central urban area and on elevated structures in the outer sections, or it would be built entirely underground.

Constructing the metro in a mixed form would be less expensive. However, in Mongolia’s cold climate, above-ground lines are less suitable in terms of environmental exposure, urban planning, passenger comfort, and technical wear and tear. Underground lines, on the other hand, are less exposed to natural conditions and related risks.

The feasibility study prepared 11 years ago proposed an above-ground alignment in order to reduce costs. That approach is now being re-evaluated through comparative studies on utility networks and urban expansion, in consultation with specialists from the urban planning department. Once the comparative study and the updated feasibility study are completed, a decision will be made on which sections of the metro line should be underground or above ground.

Q: If Ulaanbaatar gets a metro system, will there be a shortage of operating personnel? What plans are in place on this issue?

A: The metro is planned to begin operation in September 2030. Around 500 employees will be required to operate it. In order to train specialized personnel for a modern national railway system, the Capital City Governor’s Office, South Korea’s Dohwa Engineering, and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding in September.

Starting from September 1, 2025, four classes specializing in metro engineering and technical disciplines will open at the School of Mechanical Engineering, with the first intake of students to be admitted then. Students will study under a 2+2 program: the first two years at MUST and the next two years at a university in South Korea. Discussions are underway to cooperate with three to five South Korean universities. In the future, the aim is to make it possible to complete the entire program in Mongolia. Before that, a working group is preparing to train domestic instructors and develop a joint curriculum. If metro personnel are not trained in parallel with the construction phase, there is a risk of having to rely on foreign specialists.

Experience from other countries shows that after metro construction is completed, personnel training often does not catch up in time.

Q: What will be the passenger capacity of the metro trains, and from which country will they be procured?

A: The key benchmark for a metro system is how many passengers it can carry per hour per direction. In the 2013 metro feasibility study, it was stated that a metro system with a capacity of 17,700 passengers per hour per direction would be suitable for Ulaanbaatar. Once the updated study on traffic demand and travel patterns in Ulaanbaatar is completed, it will be decided whether this figure should be revised.

At present, the base infrastructure is preliminarily being planned to accommodate a capacity of around 17,000 to 23,000 passengers per hour per direction. Mongolia’s population continues to grow steadily, and the metro is expected to be used for 50 to 100 years. Therefore, if the base infrastructure is built with sufficient capacity from the outset, future demand growth can be addressed simply by increasing the number of trains.

The company selected through the metro EPC tender will construct the works and supply the trains as part of the package. The trains will be procured in accordance with standards suited to Mongolia’s extreme climate, ensuring high quality.

Before the opening of the first-stage EPC tender, it is not possible to know which companies have submitted proposals. However, companies from Asia, Europe, and the United States have been sending inquiries and showing interest, particularly regarding matters such as taxation and registration requirements.

The current tender law does not fully align with the realities of large-scale projects. For example, foreign companies are required to obtain a digital signature in order to participate in the tender, but the person obtaining it must appear in person, which is not practical. In addition, all tender documents must be submitted in Mongolian. This creates a major challenge in translating technical terminology for new technologies not yet widely used in Mongolia and in translating hundreds of pages of documents within a short period of time. Nevertheless, the entire process is proceeding in accordance with the current law.

The best-quality metro trains are generally manufactured in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan, but they are relatively expensive. Metro trains manufactured in China are less expensive and have recently reached good standards, and they are increasingly being adopted in cities in Eastern Europe and the United States.