Vehicles drive on the Huangmaohai cross-sea bridge, one of the major cross-sea projects in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, on Dec 11, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
China's transportation network has met growing demand brought by the country's rapid socioeconomic development, further promoting high-quality development, a Ministry of Transport official said at a news conference on Friday.
Li Yang, vice-minister of transport, said that China's comprehensive and fully integrated transport network now spans 6 million kilometers, comprising overland, air and sea transport, among others. This year, notable progress has been made in transport services and capacity, he said.
Several key transport projects were completed this year, such as Guangdong province's Shenzhen-Zhongshan cross-sea link, with five civilian airports launching operations and 50,000 km of highways added, including more than 8,000 km of newly built or expanded expressways, Li said.
"The tremendous transport demand brought by the rapid development of the economy and society has become the driving force for transport development," he said.
The volume of passenger trips is projected to reach 64.5 billion this year, with a daily average of 180 million trips, reflecting a 5.2 percent year-on-year increase, said Li, adding that the volume of freight transport is expected to total 56.5 billion metric tons, with a daily average of 150 million tons, marking a 3.5 percent year-on-year rise.
In addition, port cargo throughput is expected to reach 17.5 billion tons, representing a 3.4-percent increase from the previous year, Li said.
He also noted that economic policies introduced in September have further fueled transportation development, as both freight volume and port cargo throughput accelerated in November, rising by 4.2 percent and 3.7 percent year-on-year, respectively.
Wu Chungeng, chief planner of the Ministry of Transport, said that total investment in transport-related fixed assets is likely to reach approximately 3.8 trillion yuan ($520 billion) this year.
As 2025 marks the completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), goals set in the transport development plan will be accomplished next year, Wu said.
Key transport projects in 2025 include the Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and a new high-speed railway linking Shanghai and Sichuan province via Chongqing, he said.
Li, the vice-minister, said that logistics costs nationwide are expected to decrease by 300 billion yuan in 2025.
"As transport constitutes part of logistics costs, the cost reductions resulting from transport improvements will provide strong support for the real economy, especially the manufacturing sector," said Li.
In response to the development of electric vehicles, more than 5,800 of China's 6,000 highway service areas are now equipped with charging piles, achieving a 97-percent coverage. By the end of November, 33,000 charging stations and 49,000 charging parking spaces were installed at highway service areas, an increase of 12,000 and 17,000, respectively, compared to 2023.
The transport sector's efforts in the green transition were also highlighted. Li noted that in 11 international hub ports in China, more than 60 percent of trucks transporting containers are clean energy vehicles, contributing to improved air quality in these ports and surrounding cities.
Li Shangyi and Luo Wangshu contributed to this story.
