Mongolia will start building a metro line in Ulaanbaatar in 2024 to address traffic congestion in the capital. “For the first time, the government made a decision to build a metro line in the capital, Ulan Bator,” B.Delgersaikhan, a cabinet member and chair of the National Committee on the Reduction of Traffic Congestion in Ulaanbaatar, told a press conference after a regular government meeting.

The construction of the 22.3-kilometer-long metro line from the east to the west of the capital city is set to begin in May next year and is expected to be completed in 2027, he said.

For many years, traffic congestion has been a major pressing issue in Ulaanbaatar. The city, which was originally built to have 500,000 residents, is now home to around half of the country’s population of 3.4 million.

Currently, buses are the most popular means of public transport in the Mongolian capital.