The episode of “City” program, which broach the events, policy decisions, development, pressing problems and the solutions in the capital Ulaanbaatar, was prepared from the Hohhot of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China. This time, the issue of high-capacity public transport to solve the problem of traffic congestion and access to public transport in Ulaanbaatar was emphasized.

DEMAND

Since the first subway was built in London in the 19th century, it has been performing a major role in the infrastructure of major cities, the lives of their residents, and the economy. To date, major cities in most countries around the world have introduced subways into their public transportation services. In Ulaanbaatar, where more than half of Mongolia's population lives, many facing problems can be solved by the subway. The city's population will continue to grow, and the accompanying problems of traffic congestion and access to public transportation will continue to be a facing problem. Therefore, it is more important than ever to introduce high-capacity vehicles in public transport.

The attempt to get a subway is not new for the citizens of the capital. The city authorities started the project to build a subway, and they were also conducting research and feasibility studies. Specifically, with the support of the JICA project team, the research of the "Ulaanbaatar Metro" project started. Preliminary plans were made to build a 17-kilometer long subway line along Peace Avenue, connecting the city from east to west, in the form of underground and elevated bridges. In addition, South Korea's “Soosung Engineering” company developed the feasibility study and conducted the research for Ulaanbaatar's subway, and selected a light-weight two-part subway with a capacity of 5,000-30,000 people. However, due to many reasons such as lack of funds, the desire of the people of Ulaanbaatar to have a subway is still not fulfilled, but their demands are still pressing.

MODEL

The subway of the Hohhot of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was put into operation for the first time in 2019. The subway with two lines connecting the main spots of the city and the airport has a total length of 50 km and 44 stations. The administration of the city pointed out that traffic congestion has decreased due to the use of public transport, which saves time for citizens. This project, which was implemented to improve access to public transportation and reduce traffic congestion, is currently bringing major changes to the city's infrastructure, economy, and social life.

SOLUTION

Traffic congestion is a problem that directly affects the time, opportunities, and quality of life of everyone living in Ulaanbaatar. There is an opportunity to solve the increasing population and the concentration of cars every year with high-capacity public transport.

The Governor of the capital city and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar D.Sumiyabazar said during his official appointment in Chongqing, China, "Subway performs a very important role in public transportation in a developing city. This is not only a means of transport, but a factor that directly affects the living environment and quality of life of citizens. On the other hand, it will be a major gate for the economy and development of the city. Therefore, it is time to find some solution and move it forward. Capital and financing issues are very important when building a subway or introducing high-capacity public transport. The facing problem is just that. Such a large construction cannot be done with budget funds. Therefore, we are looking for a solution based on our capabilities and solutions. In Ulaanbaatar, where more than half of Mongolia's population lives, it is time to diversify public transportation and introduce high-capacity subways and light rail transits /LRT/ that save people's time. In the past two years, research on the introduction of international experience and advanced technologies has been carried out within the framework of the city's decentralization and traffic congestion reduction. In terms of costs, importing LRT from Japan and Germany is two to three times more expensive than China's. Therefore, we have traveled by its version that works in the extreme climatic conditions of Mongolia, and is cheaper in terms of price, and seen the factory, which has introduced the Euro standard. The possibility of supplying LRT and monorail from Chongqing factory at factory price was also discussed.”