(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2007-08-03 14:36

In the newly released National Highway Hub Layout Plan, the Ministry of Communications (MOC) announced China is to build 179 transport hubs in 196 cities, in part of a plan to construct a national transport system to deal with increasing highway transport volume and related pressures.

According to the plan, the hubs will be located in regional transport centers and form the highest level inter-provincial and international highway network in China's transport system. The planned network would cover 60 percent of China's population, all the four municipalities, all the provincial capitals, and 60 percent or 137 of all the county-level cities. Passenger and goods transportation companies are to be involved in the network.

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The network will run through areas that, when combined, generate 87 percent of China's GDP and include 84 percent of its open ports, 56 percent of its land border ports, and 98 percent of its national technology development areas. It will also go through regional distribution centers for goods and passengers.

The Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and Bohai Rim area are expecting more transport hubs while West China, East China, and Central China are welcoming strategic ones to boost regional economic development.

The network will link the main sea ports, 93 percent of main river ports, all mid-sized and large airports, all the principal train stations, and 68 percent of first-class stations.

As the pace of urbanization quickens, people have tended to travel more, creating demand for a transport system with highway, river way, railway, airports, and public transports connected to one another.

MOC recently has focused on building comprehensive passenger and goods stations, container depots, modern logistics centers, and information service systems.