Eight Central Departments Unveil 2026–2030 Multimodal Transport Action Plan to Upgrade National Logistics Networks

According to official releases from the Ministry of Transport, eight central authorities have jointly issued the Action Plan for Implementing Multimodal Transport Improvement and Unblocking Logistics Bottlenecks (2026–2030), setting clear quantitative targets to accelerate the formation of a sophisticated nationwide multimodal transport framework.

The five-year programme targets functional upgrades for roughly 1,000 major freight hubs across the country. It lays out measurable operational benchmarks: over 90 per cent of cross-modal cargo transfers will be completed within one hour, rail access will reach 80 per cent of multimodal terminals at coastal ports, and every major port along the Yangtze trunk waterway will achieve full rail connectivity. Digital operational data for rail-water intermodal shipments will be fully interoperable across port operators, railway carriers and professional multimodal logistics providers.

Multimodal transport forms a core pillar of the modern integrated transport system, unlocking the comparative strengths of separate transport modes while cutting aggregate logistics expenses across all industrial sectors. Senior research staff at the Transport Planning and Research Institute under the Ministry of Transport outlines tangible operational gains delivered by integrated transport solutions. 

Rail and inland waterway services carry large cargo volumes at comparatively low unit costs, easing the cost and energy intensity drawbacks of over-reliance on road haulage. Surging outbound shipments of new energy vehicles, photovoltaic modules and lithium battery products, alongside fast-expanding cross-border e-commerce flows, raise stricter demands for consistent delivery timelines and supply chain stability. 

Door-to-door multimodal service chains eliminate fragmented handovers between separate carriers, sustaining unbroken industrial and commercial supply cycles. Rail and waterborne freight also generate far lower carbon emissions per tonne-kilometre, cementing multimodal systems as a core delivery mechanism for carbon peaking and carbon neutrality targets within the transport sector.

Official industry data published in the China Multimodal Transport Development Report (2025) records steady expansion in integrated freight volumes last year. The country handled 140 million standard containers via multimodal routes, representing a year-on-year rise of 15.7 per cent. Structural readjustment of freight transport capacity has yielded consistent results, with rail freight tonne-kilometres accounting for 13.8 per cent of total national freight turnover and waterborne transport claiming a 56.2 per cent share. The sustained growth rate carries forward the positive expansion momentum established throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan period, demonstrating the robust capacity of multimodal logistics to underpin modern industrial distribution systems.

While overall market expansion remains steady, structural constraints persist across the sector. Dedicated rail spurs have yet to reach full coverage of port terminals and industrial parks, creating bottlenecks at key transfer stations with slow cargo handling throughput. Siloed data systems prevent seamless information exchange between road, rail and maritime operators. Legal frameworks governing the liability and operational standing of multimodal service providers remain incomplete, while inconsistent loading, packaging and handover standards for containers create procedural delays across different transport modes.

The 15th Five-Year Plan period marks a critical advancement phase for domestic multimodal transport, driven by digital intelligence, interconnected network layouts and systematic capacity upgrades. The Ministry of Transport has identified multimodal logistics as a top priority for cutting logistics costs and lifting operational efficiency, requiring targeted delivery of four integrated supporting frameworks: physical infrastructure, shared digital data links, aligned industry standards and coordinated enterprise service systems.

The newly released Action Plan delivers detailed implementation roadmaps for each of the four core frameworks. Targeted infrastructure upgrades will be rolled out on a site-specific basis at major coastal and inland ports, large-scale logistics parks, industrial manufacturing zones and China-Europe and China-Central Asia freight train hubs, expanding transfer capacity and physical connectivity for integrated cargo flows. 

Cross-border, cross-mode and cross-operator data sharing will be prioritised to dismantle digital barriers, with digitalised logistics workflows powered by new quality productive forces to drive industry-wide transformation. National standardisation initiatives will unify full-chain multimodal procedures alongside updated regulatory provisions, refining the market operating environment for integrated freight services. Policy support will nurture large-scale logistics operators capable of delivering end-to-end multimodal solutions, expand coverage of unified single-document and single-container shipping services, and deepen collaborative links between multimodal transport networks and upstream and downstream industrial clusters.

Domestic port and rail infrastructure networks have undergone continuous connectivity improvements in recent years, with dedicated intermodal terminals and digital cargo tracking platforms deployed across major trade gateways. Unified data exchange protocols and standardised shipping documentation reduce administrative overhead for cross-border and domestic cargo movements, while integrated logistics hubs shorten transfer intervals between separate transport modes. Iterative upgrades to physical facilities and digital platforms will expand the geographic reach and service scope of national multimodal transport networks over the five-year implementation window.