MONGOLIAN mining company Energy Resources has awarded Leighton, Australia, a $US 338 million contract to construct a 228km heavy-haul railway linking a coal mine in the South Gobi region of eastern Mongolia with the Chinese border. The single-track standard-gauge line will run from Ukhaa Khudang, where Leighton Asia has a six-year mining contract, to the border at Gashuun Sukhait.