Zhejiang unveils 2026-30 transport plan

Zhejiang province unveiled its integrated transport plan for 2026-30 at a news conference on Sept 10, setting targets for railways, highways, waterways, aviation, logistics, and green transport.

By 2030, all 11 prefecture-level cities are expected to have high-speed rail access, while towns with populations of 100,000 or more will generally be connected to expressways. Inland waterways capable of accommodating 1,000-metric-ton vessels will double to 1,200 kilometers, and airport passenger-handling capacity will reach 130 million.

The province's railway network is expected to exceed 5,000 kilometers and serve more than 95 percent of permanent residents. Ningbo-Zhoushan Port aims to handle more than 50 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), while total logistics costs as a share of GDP are targeted to fall from 13.32 percent to 12.5 percent.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Railway is expected to open during the period, giving Zhoushan its first high-speed rail connection. Preparatory work on the Shanghai-Ningbo cross-sea corridor will also accelerate.

The penetration rate of new-energy heavy trucks exceeded 40 percent in the first half of 2026. The China-Europe Arctic Express has entered regular operation, with one-way journeys taking about 20 days and the sailing distance cut by nearly half.

Zhejiang's first off-airport cargo terminal opened in Hangzhou on July 22, allowing cross-border cargo to undergo a single inspection recognized at the airport. Security-check-free transfers from high-speed rail to metro services are also expected to be further expanded.