Construction of the Second China-Mongolia Cross-Border Railway Passes Halfway Mark

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 27, the pier construction for the entire Gants Mod–Gashuun Sukhait Railway, the second cross-border railway between China and Mongolia built by China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group, was successfully completed, marking the full completion of the subgrade and bridge substructure works and the official transition to girder erection and bridge deck superstructure construction. With this milestone, the overall progress of the second China-Mongolia cross-border railway has passed the halfway mark, laying a solid foundation for the project to open to traffic on schedule.

Gants Mod to Gashuun Sukhait Railway is the second cross-border railway built by China and Mongolia nearly 70 years after the Erenhot–Zamyn-Üüd Railway was opened to traffic in 1956. The project is jointly advanced by the two countries under the principle of "unified design, respective construction, and one-time connection," with construction officially commencing in May 2025. The railway departs from China via the Gants Mod port, passes through Mongolia's Gashuun Sukhait port, and connects to the Gashuun Sukhait station in Mongolia's South Gobi Province. The total line length is 9.91 kilometers, of which the cross-border bridge section spans 6.08 kilometers, comprising 321 piers and requiring the erection of 760 T-beams.

"As the project is located in the Gobi desert area, where gale-force winds of level 7 or above prevail year-round, sandstorms are frequent, temperature differences between day and night are extreme, and the frost-free period is short—combined with the fact that cross-border construction involves coordination among customs, border defense, and port authorities of both countries, and the customs clearance and logistics processes for materials are complex—the effective construction window is very limited," said the project manager. To address these challenges, the construction team deployed an all-area wind speed monitoring and early warning system on site, dynamically adjusted the working schedules for pier formwork installation and concrete pouring, and prioritized concrete pouring during windless nighttime windows to prevent sand and wind from affecting the quality of component formation. Meanwhile, in response to the large temperature differences in the Gobi region, the concrete mix ratio was optimized, insulation and steam-curing measures were improved, and strict implementation of on-site supervision and the "three-inspection system" ensured project quality, guaranteeing that every pier is dimensionally accurate and structurally stable.

To date, the overall construction is progressing steadily. All substructure works, including pile foundations, pile caps, and piers, have been completed. A total of 701 T-beams have been prefabricated and 390 have been erected, with all girder erection tasks expected to be completed by October this year.

The Gants Mod–Gashuun Sukhait cross-border railway is an important milestone in deepening strategic alignment and practical cooperation between China and Mongolia, and another major landmark project in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. Upon completion, the railway is expected to handle 30 million tonnes of cargo annually, connecting the Ganquan Railway with Mongolia's southbound railway network, which will help further expand trade between the two countries in relevant sectors and promote infrastructure connectivity and economic exchanges along the route.