Three departments: Promote integrated coordination of intermodal transport organization and accelerate the improvement of the efficiency of the entire chain

The Ministry of Transport, the National Railway Administration, and China National Railway Group Co., Ltd. issued the "Action Plan for Promoting the Deep Integration Development of Container Rail-Water Intermodal Transport with 'One Port, One Policy'," which mentions promoting the intensive operation of intermodal transport. It encourages ports with conditions, such as Qingdao Port, to strengthen the coordination of port-rail operations, support the integrated management of railway stations and port production operations, and promote the application of digital and intelligent means to achieve rapid customs clearance, quick loading and unloading transfer, and effectively reduce "short-distance" transportation. It encourages railway, port, and shipping enterprises to strengthen cooperation by establishing joint ventures, forming operating entities, and creating business alliances to provide full-service intermodal transport.

Enhancing the quality and efficiency of intermodal transport products. Strengthening the quality assessment and evaluation of intermodal trains. Opening rail-water express products at major container rail-water intermodal ports nationwide, establishing fixed train operation lines, implementing passenger train operations, and enhancing the coordination of train schedules with shipping schedules to build a rail-water express network of "trains + ships." Promoting Ningbo-Zhoushan Port to pilot double-deck high-container transport models in cooperation with railway enterprises to improve operational levels. In key coastal areas such as the Bohai Rim, Yangtze River Delta, and Pearl River Delta, as well as container ports along the Yangtze River trunk line, cultivating high-quality long-distance cargo trains and short-distance multimodal transport trains as intermodal transport products. By 2027, achieving a nationwide coverage of the container rail-water intermodal express network at major intermodal ports.

Supporting "road-to-rail" and "bulk-to-container" transport. Promoting cooperation between port enterprises such as Yingkou Port, Jinzhou Port, Tangshan Port, Qingdao Port, Rizhao Port, Lianyungang Port, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port, Guangzhou Port, and Beibu Gulf Port with railways to expand sources of goods such as grain, fertilizers, copper concentrate, bauxite, cement clinker, and coke, accelerating the promotion of "road-to-rail" transport for medium and long-distance cargo, and encouraging inland terminals and qualified factories and parks to innovate "bulk-to-container" loading and unloading processes and facilities, expanding the scale of source "bulk-to-container." Promoting cooperation between ports and railway and automobile manufacturing enterprises to advance the development of rail-water intermodal transport for car carrier trains.

Optimizing the connection of international container rail-water intermodal transport. Ports such as Dalian Port, Tianjin Port, Qingdao Port, Rizhao Port, Lianyungang Port, Suzhou Port, Xiamen Port, Guangzhou Port, Beibu Gulf Port, Wuhan Port, and Nanjing Port should promote the integrated development of shipping routes with China-Europe Railway Express, China-Laos Railway, and the new western land-sea corridor, strengthen coordination with the China-Europe Railway Express gathering centers, develop transit gathering trains with added axles and tiered gathering, promote the optimization of customs inspection processes, and enhance the timeliness of international container rail-water intermodal transport