One of the methods of increasing the efficiency of dragline operation is to optimize their work when mining the end sections of the cuts. This is especially important when the length of the work front is relatively short. With mining operations going deeper, and the complication of mining and geological conditions of bedding, it often becomes necessary to mine shorter face sections. However, as a rule, design bureaus do not take into account and do not visualize excavation of end sections, because these are, in fact, special cases of standard excavation schemes. Nevertheless, it significantly complicates the organization of mining operations due to the need to create routes for draglines to ascend and descend to the dump tiers. Scientific literature does not pay enough attention to this issue due to its complexity and the need for a full-scale field experiment, which in modern conditions is often very problematic. This article establishes the relevance of the above-mentioned issue and identifies directions for further research.