Ministry of Transport: In the first quarter, construction of 1845 road and water transportation projects with an investment scale of over 100 million yuan accelerated, with an investment completion of about 330 billion yuan.

On April 28th, the Ministry of Transport will hold its regular press conference for April, introducing the situation regarding the service guarantee for the May Day holiday travel and answering questions from reporters. Liu Dong, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport, stated that major transportation projects have a significant impact on economic development as they have large individual investments, significant social impacts, and strong driving effects. In the first quarter, construction on 1845 road and waterway projects with investments over a billion yuan each was accelerated, with total investments reaching approximately 330 billion yuan. Among them, 174 new projects were initiated with an additional investment of around 16 billion yuan. Major transportation projects with investments exceeding 20 billion yuan, such as the Jiangsu Sutong Second Yangtze River Crossing, the Sichuan Nanjiang to Santai Expressway, and the Gansu S35 Jingtai to Lixian Expressway, have commenced construction. The following is a transcript of the press conference: [Hou Zhenxing] Dear friends from the media, Good afternoon! Welcome to the Ministry of Transport's April press conference. I am Hou Zhenxing from the Policy Research Office, also the newly appointed spokesperson of the ministry. I am delighted to meet you all, and I will do my best to serve our journalist friends. I am also very grateful for your continuous support and interest in the transportation industry. For today's conference, we have invited Mr. Liu Dong, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Planning Department of the Ministry of Transport, who is also the newly appointed spokesperson of our department. Mr. Yang Liang, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Transport Highway Bureau, and Mr. Gao Bo, Deputy Director of the Transport Service Department, will be joining us to answer questions from reporters. As the May Day holiday is approaching, I would like to invite Mr. Gao Bo to introduce the current situation of the service guarantee for the upcoming holiday travel. [Gao Bo] Thank you, the host. Good afternoon to all the media friends. It's a pleasure to meet you again at the press conference. In two days, the May Day holiday will begin. The weather across the country is expected to be generally clear and suitable for public travel and tourism. Based on initial analysis, during the holiday, national transportation operations will demonstrate the following characteristics: Firstly, there will be a record high volume of cross-regional population movement. It is estimated to reach 1.52 billion person-times, with a daily average of 304 million person-times, a 4% increase from the previous year. Secondly, there will be record-breaking levels of daily passenger flow, customer flow, and vehicle flow. The first day of the holiday, May 1st, is expected to witness 344 million cross-regional population movements, a 3.3% increase compared to last year; the national expressway vehicle flow is expected to reach 70 million vehicles, a 3.5% increase. Thirdly, road travel will dominate. During the holiday, the road traffic flow is estimated to account for about 91.6%, with an average of about 64 million vehicles per day on national expressways. Fourthly, there will be an increase in the number of new energy vehicles for self-driving trips. It is estimated that during the holiday, there will be approximately 15.4 million new energy vehicles per day on national expressways, accounting for 24%, a 33% increase from the previous year. Finally, railways and civil aviation will maintain high levels of operations. Estimated flows during the holiday will reach 107 million person-times and 11.75 million person-times for railways and civil aviation, respectively, with long-distance road travel demands being concentrated. To ensure the smooth operation of the Five-One holiday mass travel services, we have focused on five key areas: Firstly, in terms of self-driving trip service guarantee, we will continue to implement the policy of toll-free travel for vehicles with seven seats or less, conduct dynamic analysis of congested and easily congested sections of expressways, pre-position forces in advance, increase the density of rescue points, implement rapid response and compensation for accidents, and maximize the capacity to ensure smooth traffic on the road network. Secondly, in terms of new energy vehicle charging service assurance, we have conducted preliminary analysis and issuance of a list of special charging busy service areas, guided localities to increase charging parking spaces, install high-power fast charging equipment, and equip mobile charging facilities to enhance charging service assurance capacity and alleviate the pressure of charging queues. During the holiday period, we will guide expressway service areas to maintain charging order and information dissemination, and promptly handle potential long queues and congestion. Thirdly, in terms of travel service assurance for tourists, we have guided localities to increase the deployment of transportation capacities in popular tourist cities, scenic spots, and surrounding areas, actively operate customized passenger transport, customized public transportation, and small and medium-sized tourist charter services, and enhance the service level of small and micro car rental services. We will coordinate railways, civil aviation, and road passenger transport, urban public transportation, and ensure night-time travel services for arriving and departing passengers. Fourthly, to improve the public travel experience, we will actively promote convenient services such as online ticketing, electronic tickets, and facial recognition for travel to enhance the overall travel experience for passengers. We will increase the number of volunteer services at hubs with high passenger flow, strengthen travel services for key groups such as the elderly, children, the sick, and pregnant women. We will supervise ride-hailing platforms to increase capacity during peak hours, ensuring a good taxi service for travelers. Fifthly, to ensure the safety of public travel, we will organize and conduct major hazard inspections and rectifications, implement higher-level control measures for major sources of danger during the holiday, and supervise corporate leaders to remain vigilant on duty. Intensified control will be implemented on vehicles with large passenger capacities and high operating intensities. Night routes with high passenger flows and popular tourism sightseeing routes will be subject to onboard monitoring. We will strengthen consultation and assessment with meteorological departments, and issue timely alerts for inclement weather. During the holiday, the vast number of cadres and workers in the national transportation system will remain on duty, dedicating their efforts to ensure the smooth operation of various tasks and strive to guarantee safe, convenient, and smooth travel for the people. I have briefly introduced these situations. Thank you. [Hou Zhenxing] Thank you, Mr. Gao Bo. Now we will move on to the question and answer session. Please announce your media outlet before asking your question. We will begin now. [CCTV Reporter] What are the characteristics of the national road network during the upcoming May Day holiday this year, considering the convergence of large passenger volumes, and what measures will the transportation department take to ensure safety and smooth travel, particularly in terms of road traffic safety? [] Thank you for your question. Overall, this year's May Day holiday has good weather for travel, and the traffic volume on expressways is expected to remain high. Currently, the public's growing preference for self-driving tours during holidays has been noted. For this year's May Day holiday, the total traffic volume of cross-regional travelers is expected to reach 1.52 billion person-times, with a daily average of 304 million person-times, representing a 4% increase year-on-year. The demand for road travel is dominant during the holiday, expected to account for about 91.6% of the total traffic flow, with approximately 64 million vehicles per day on national expressways. The road transport sector is seeing an increasing number of tourists choosing self-driving trips, with a projected daily average of around 15.4 million new energy vehicles on national expressways, accounting for 24% of the traffic and representing a 33% increase from the previous year. Railways and civil aviation will maintain high operating conditions during the holiday, with an anticipated passenger flow of 107 million person-times and 11.75 million person-times, respectively, and the demand for long-haul road travel will peak. To ensure the safety and comfort of the May Day holiday travel for the public, we are focusing on five key areas of work: First, in terms of ensuring the safety of self-driving travel, we will continue to implement the policy of toll-free travel for vehicles with seven seats or fewer. We will conduct dynamic analysis of busy and easily congested sections of the expressway, pre-position forces in advance, increase the density of rescue points, implement rapid accident response and compensation, and maximize the ability to ensure smooth road network traffic. Second, in terms of ensuring the convenience of charging for new energy vehicles, we have conducted advanced research and issued a list of busy charging service areas. We guided various locations to increase the number of charging parking spaces, install high-power fast charging equipment, equip mobile charging facilities, and enhance the charging service assurance capabilities, thereby alleviating stress for vehicles. Third, in terms of ensuring the convenience of travel for tourists, we have guided various locations to increase the deployment of transportation capacities in popular tourist cities, scenic spots, and surrounding areas. We are actively operating customized passenger transport, customized public transportation, and small and medium-sized tourist charter services, as well as enhancing the service level of small and micro car rental services. We are coordinating the railroads, civil aviation, and road passenger transport and urban public transportation to ensure night-time travel service guarantees for arriving and departing passengers. Fourth, in terms of improving the public travel experience, we are actively promoting convenient services such as online ticketing, electronic tickets, and facial recognition for travel to improve the overall travel experience for passengers. We are increasing the number of volunteer services at busy transport hubs, strengthening travel services for key groups such as the elderly, children, the sick, and pregnant women, and urging ride-hailing platforms to increase capacity during peak hours to provide good taxi service. Fifth, in terms of ensuring public travel safety, we are organizing and conducting major hazard inspections and rectifications. During the holiday, we will implement stricter controls on significant sources of danger, supervise business leaders on duty, and provide targeted control for vehicles with large passenger capacities and high operating intensities. We will implement onboard supervision for night cruise routes and popular tourism sightseeing cruise lines, strengthen consultation and judgment with meteorological departments, and issue timely harsh weather alerts. During the holiday, the vast majority of cadres and workers in the national transportation system will remain on duty, doing their best to ensure public safety, convenience, and smooth travel. I have briefly explained these situations. Thank you. [Hou Zhenxing] Alright, thank you, Mr. Gao Bo. We will now move on to the question and answer session. Before asking your question, please identify your media outlet. You may begin now. [] We have noticed that the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport recently issued a notification on supporting a new round of national comprehensive freight hub enhancement action. Could you please elaborate on the focus of this round of enhancement compared to previous efforts? [Liu Dong] Thank you for your question. To implement the national "Fifteen-Five" plan, promote the clearing of multi-modal transport bottlenecks and knot points, enhance the functions of national hub cities, improve the modern comprehensive transportation system, and perfect the comprehensive freight hub layout and functions, this April, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport jointly issued a notification on supporting the new round of national comprehensive freight hub enhancement action, accompanied by an implementation guide co-issued by our department, the Ministry of Finance, the National Railway Administration, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and the National Post Administration. From 2026 onwards, it will support the comprehensive enhancement of about 30 cities over about a three-year period. The features of this policy as compared to the first round are as follows: Firstly, it enhances national strategic support and guarantees, focusing on the transportation needs of key cargo trade sectors such as grain, energy, mineral resources, and advanced manufacturing, improving the layout and function of comprehensive freight hubs to complement deficient links in the overall transportation chain. Secondly, it adopts a "fill what is missing" principle, focusing on main ports, key inland ports, large-scale logistics parks, industrial parks, and Eurasian/Asian cargo train gathering centers - providing customized facility systems, information linkage systems, standard systems, and enterprise service systems to improve the transportation chain linking these major freight nodes. Thirdly, it concentrates on enhancing the functions of hub cities, reinforcing the integration of passenger and freight transport, supporting and guiding hub cities to improve hub ports and stations, hub transport systems, internal connection and external linkage systems, and enhancing the aggregation and radiation capacities of hub cities. Fourthly, it emphasizes facility renewal, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancements, prioritizing the use of fusion, safety enhancement, digitalization, and green methods to upgrade existing hub facilities, ensuring high-quality services. Going forward, the Ministry of Transport will collaborate with the Ministry of Finance, the National Railway Administration, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and the National Post Administration to organize and implement the initial phase of the national comprehensive freight hub enhancement action in the near future, enhancing multi-modal transport functions of the comprehensive freight hubs, reducing logistics costs. Thank you. [] This year marks the beginning of the "Fifteen-Five" plan. How was the overall performance of the transportation sector in the first quarter of this year? What were the characteristics? [Liu Dong] Thank you for your question. In the first quarter of this year, the overall operation of the transportation sector was stable and promising, demonstrating three main characteristics: record-breaking Spring Festival travel, rapid growth in international freight, and high levels of transportation investment. The large volume of travelers during the Spring Festival set a new record, transportation of goods remained efficient, and key indicators such as freight volume and port cargo throughput continued to show significant growth, especially in international transportation. Firstly, there was a record-breaking volume of cross-regional people flow during the Spring Festival, with a total of 1.77 billion person-times, an increase of 2.2% compared to the previous year. Railway transportation completed passenger traffic of 1.13 billion person-times, a 5.5% increase year-on-year, while road transport handled 16.38 billion person-times, a 1.9% increase. Waterway transport served 600 million person-times, a 6.8% increase, and civil aviation completed 200 million person-times, a 6.5% increase. Secondly, freight transport volume grew steadily, with significant growth in international transportation. In the first quarter, the total freight transport volume reached 13.19 billion tons, an increase of 4.1% year-on-year. The railway transport completed 1.28 billion tons, up 2.2%; road transport handled 9.88 billion tons, up 4%; waterway transport served 2.03 billion tons, up 5.7%; and civil aviation transported 24.5 million tons, up 9.3%. International air cargo transportation increased significantly by 17.6%. Thirdly, port cargo throughput achieved rapid growth, particularly in foreign trade container traffic. The total port cargo throughput in the first quarter reached 4.39 billion tons, a 4% increase, with container throughput growing by 8%. The internal trade and foreign trade throughput increased by 2.4% and 7.6%, respectively. The container throughput increased by 8%, with a growth rate of 11.6% for foreign trade container traffic. Fourthly, transportation investment remained at a high level. In the first quarter, total transportation fixed asset investment reached 651.9 billion yuan. Railway investment was 137.9 billion yuan, road investment was 443.7 billion yuan, with high-speed expressways, ordinary national and provincial highways, and rural roads seeing investments of 246.3 billion yuan, 100.4 billion yuan, and 60.6 billion yuan respectively. Water transportation investment reached 49.3 billion yuan, and civil aviation investment was 21.1 billion yuan. Thank you. [Hou Zhenxing] As we are running out of time, we will now conclude the press conference. We also sincerely welcome media friends to continue to engage with us and support the development of the transportation industry. Thank you! This article is compiled from the Ministry of Transport. Editor: Chen Wenfang.