In order to further improve the quality and efficiency of transportation and logistics, and better support the effective reduction of logistics costs for the whole society, the Ministry of Transport recently issued the "Action Plan for Reducing Costs, Improving Quality and Efficiency of Transportation and Logistics" (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan") in conjunction with relevant departments, and clarified the implementation plans for railway, highway, water transportation, civil aviation, and postal services in different fields. The "Action Plan" proposes to vigorously develop river sea intermodal transportation, water to water transfer, and iron to water intermodal transportation in the industrial park area of the railway dedicated line, and to deeply promote the adjustment and optimization of transportation structure. By 2027, the turnover of railway freight transportation in China will increase by about 10% compared to 2023, and the annual average growth rate of port container intermodal transportation will be about 15%. Wang Xiuchun, Deputy Director of the Transport Service Department of the Ministry of Transport, introduced that in the first ten months of this year, the freight volume completed by railways and water transportation in China increased by 14.2% and 29.9% respectively compared to the same period in 2020. Next, we will make every effort to promote the implementation of the transportation structure optimization project, focus on key areas and weak links, continue to make efforts, and ensure the comprehensive completion of the transportation structure adjustment and optimization tasks. On the one hand, we will accelerate the entry of railway dedicated lines into port areas, industrial parks, and factory areas, and continue to promote the "circular railway" transportation of bulk goods. The railway dedicated line is a key link in connecting the "front and back one kilometer" of railway transportation, which is of great significance for effectively reducing transportation and logistics costs Li Zhenjiang, Deputy Director of the Transport Supervision and Management Department of the National Railway Administration, said that the focus will be on coal and iron ore, and through standardizing the external charges of railway and dedicated line enterprises, promoting the joint construction and sharing of dedicated lines, and continuously reducing railway transportation costs; At the same time, we will study and promote policies and measures for the construction of railway dedicated lines, guide local governments to scientifically promote the planning and construction of dedicated lines, improve the layout of logistics stations, and continuously promote the willingness, ability, and effectiveness of the "revolving railway" transportation of bulk goods. On the other hand, we will vigorously develop river sea intermodal transportation, water to water transfer, and iron to water intermodal transportation to reduce the operating costs of the entire transportation and logistics chain. Iron water intermodal transportation has the combined advantages of railway fixed-point, fixed line, quantitative transportation, as well as large water transport capacity, low price, and low energy consumption Feng Yue, Vice President of the Water Transport Science Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, said that on average, compared to road transportation, container intermodal transportation can reduce costs by an average of 800 yuan/standard container, and bulk cargo intermodal transportation can reduce costs by an average of 30 yuan/ton. Based on the scale of development, it is expected that the intermodal transportation of iron and steel will reduce social logistics costs by about 60 billion yuan in 2027. The Action Plan proposes that more than 80% of major coastal ports utilize sparse railways, waterways, enclosed belt corridors, and new energy vehicles to transport bulk goods, which will continue to unleash the potential for cost reduction. Promoting the innovative development of the "one-stop system" for multimodal transportation, and seizing the important node of freight hubs, multimodal transportation can fully leverage the comparative advantages and combined efficiency of comprehensive transportation. The Action Plan proposes to promote the innovative development of the "one-stop system" for multimodal transport. By 2027, the promotion of the "one unit system" and "one box system" for multimodal transportation will accelerate, and the efficiency of freight organization will be greatly improved. Overall, China has achieved positive results in the development of multimodal transport, but there are still problems such as loose connection of facilities, inconsistent standard rules, lack of interconnectivity of data and information, unsuitability of service providers, and imperfect market mechanisms Wang Xiuchun said that taking the "Action Plan" as an opportunity, the next step will focus on the bottlenecks of multimodal transport and accelerate the high-quality development of multimodal transport. Taking railways as an example, as the "main force" of multimodal transport, in recent years, the electronicization of railway waybills and the containerization of freight transportation have developed rapidly. The pilot projects of "one bill system" and "one box system" have been accelerated, and the proportion of electronic waybills has reached over 97%. Taking rules and standards as the starting point, the next step will focus on making articles on 'linkage' Li Zhenjiang introduced that in terms of facility connection, the organization has formulated design specifications for railway freight stations, and promoted efficient coordination between railway logistics stations and infrastructure such as ports and comprehensive freight hubs. In terms of mutual recognition of security checks, research and formulate technical specifications for container intermodal loading and safety inspections, and promote mutual recognition of security checks for intermodal containers; In terms of standard coordination, we will focus on promoting the unified classification of goods names and identification standards for dangerous goods in the intermodal transportation of iron and steel; In terms of information sharing, we will study and revise the railway freight transportation rules, promote the open sharing of information on railway freight categories, quantities, loading and unloading, and operations. To better unleash the logistics cost reduction effect of multimodal transport, we need to seize the important node of freight hubs. With Ezhou Huahu International Airport as the hub, air cargo and mainline logistics are seamlessly connected, achieving efficient distribution of air cargo in Ezhou. The actual cargo carrying rate of cargo planes is increased by about 10%, and shipping transportation costs are effectively reduced. With the launch and operation of the Huahu International Air Cargo Hub platform, the integrated intelligent intermodal transportation standard and specification system that coordinates air to air transfer and air to land intermodal transportation is accelerating its improvement. Ezhou Huahu International Airport will better promote cost reduction and efficiency improvement throughout the industry. The next step will continue to support the efficient operation of Ezhou Huahu International Airport, striving to create a 'new sample' of professional freight hub airports in China at a higher and deeper level, and helping to reduce costs and improve quality and efficiency in transportation and logistics Shang Kejia, Deputy Director of the Transport Department of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said. The Action Plan proposes to innovate and develop intelligent logistics in transportation, improve fully automated terminals, low altitude logistics, network freight and other standard specifications, and accelerate the innovative development of intelligent logistics in transportation. By 2027, a group of leading enterprises with international competitiveness will be cultivated, and the supporting role of transportation and logistics in the construction of a modern industrial system will become more prominent. In recent years, the Ministry of Transport, together with relevant departments, has focused on improving the institutional system, strengthening policy guarantees, promoting the integration and innovation of new generation information technology and transportation logistics industry, and continuously injecting new momentum into logistics cost reduction and efficiency improvement Introduction by Wang Xiuchun. The construction of smart ports has achieved significant results. In recent years, the digitalization, production and operation, and intelligent level of external services in China's port infrastructure have been continuously improved. The application scale, operational efficiency, and technological level of automated terminals are generally among the top in the world. Taking the fourth phase automated container terminal of Yangshan Port in Shanghai as an example, the required number of manual labor is reduced by about 70% compared to traditional terminals of the same scale. The development of platform economy is flourishing. By improving and perfecting the institutional norms for the development of online freight, the online freight industry is accelerating its intensive and efficient development. In the first half of this year, there were 3286 online freight enterprises nationwide, connecting over 8 million freight vehicles. Compared with traditional transportation methods, the waiting time for goods on online freight platforms has been shortened from 2-3 days to 8-10 hours, and transaction costs have decreased by 6% -8%. Low altitude logistics services are constantly expanding. Around different application scenarios such as intercity fresh food transportation, intra city express distribution, instant delivery, as well as mountainous areas and emergency delivery, the low altitude logistics service model is accelerating its application and landing. For example, SF Express has accumulated over one million flights in Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangxi and other places, with a total transportation mileage of over 4 million kilometers, and the logistics service experience is continuously improving. The application of artificial intelligence and other technologies in the postal and express delivery industry is accelerating, promoting the iterative upgrading of production organization and operation modes, and improving the operational efficiency of the entire chain Li Yongsong, the relevant person in charge of the Policy and Regulations Department of the State Post Bureau, said that in the future, it will continue to support the large-scale development of intelligent cloud warehouses, intelligent distribution, low altitude logistics, etc., enrich the application scenarios of drones, and enhance comprehensive processing capabilities. Wang Xiuchun stated that efforts will be made to accelerate the digital transformation and upgrading of transportation infrastructure, improve standards and regulations for fully automated terminals, low altitude logistics, and network freight, promote the deep integration of digital technology with various scenarios of transportation and logistics, and better assist in reducing costs, improving quality, and increasing efficiency in transportation and logistics by cultivating and developing new quality productivity. (New Society)