Mongolian railway cuts routes due to fuel shortage

Ulaanbaatar Railways, Mongolia’s only railroad, said it is forced to cut both freight and passenger routes due to an extreme shortage of diesel fuel. China’s Xinhua News Agency said the shortage is due to a drop in supply from Russia which traditionally has supplied approximately 90% of the refined oil products to Mongolia.  An official from the railway said, “By reducing the routes with low consumption and demand, we are saving 60 metric tons of fuel.  Early on we used 210 tons of fuel, but now we are using 150 tons of fuel.”  Service will remain suspended until additional diesel fuel can be imported from Russia and China. (June 3, 2011)