Transportation sector growth picks up speed (5)

A Fuxing model high-speed train enters the Xiong'an Railway Station, Hebei, in December 2020. SUN LIJUN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Backbone blueprint

The road is part of China's comprehensive transport network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster.

In October last year, a detailed plan was released to build the backbone of the network of the country's comprehensive transportation system, with the scale expected to reach 260,000 km by 2025.

According to a guideline released by the Ministry of Transport, the National Railway Administration, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the State Post Bureau, the scale of the backbone will improve operational efficiency and service quality.

By 2025, the main network of the high-speed rail system and the expressway system will mostly be completed, and the quality of the regular railway network and national highway system will be improved.

By 2030, the backbone network will reach about 280,000 km, rising to 290,000 km by 2035. It will include: about 56,000 km of high-speed railways; 71,000 km of regular railways; 61,000 km of expressways; 72,000 km of highways; and 25,000 km of high-grade waterways.

The backbone network will include the most important passages and corridors linking major areas of the country.

By the end of 2021, it stretched 251,000 km, about 86 percent of its planned length, according to the guideline. That reduced journey times between regions, cities and provinces to support socioeconomic development.

The backbone is an important part of the nation's comprehensive transportation network, according to a high-profile blueprint guiding the development of the sector to 2035.

Released in 2021 by the State Council, China's Cabinet, the blueprint is the country's first mid- to long-term comprehensive transportation plan and maps out related prospects, according to Li Xiaopeng, minister of transport.

The guideline set the goal of building a more convenient, high-quality transportation network that will allow most travelers to access a national highway within 15 minutes of leaving their departure point, an expressway in 30 minutes and a railway in 60 minutes.

"The network — which will connect all county-level administrative regions, borders, major facilities and tourism spots — will comprise roads, railways, air routes and waterways," Li told a news conference in 2021.

According to the blueprint, the network will not only be convenient, but also cost-effective, green, intelligent and safe.