Daily life
China is increasing cooperation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with an integrated transport design, published on Nov 18, for a world-class, Beijing-centered mega-city cluster, the Chinese Transport Ministry’s National Development and Reform Commission has announced.
Transport integration through a skeletal system, is considered the basis of urban land use and is expected to allow for commutes from the center of Beijing, or Tianjin or Shijiazhuang, the Hebei provincial capital to surrounding new towns and satellite cities of no more than one hour and travel among cities in the region of no more than 1.5 hours.
The plan also includes five national transportation hubs for the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao to make it possible to change different means of transport within 10 minutes. One highlight is an efficient, tight railway network connecting towns and rural areas with over 100,000 people via intercity trains. And, a one-card system across cities and different modes of transport will improve transport efficiency for both people and freight.
In the area of roads, the plan calls for better-connected state highways to and the removal of cross-region transport bottlenecks as well as a modern regional port cluster with Tianjin at the center to facilitate trans-regional investment, construction and modern logistics. Work on a new airport in the capital will be accelerated as part of a world-class airport cluster plan, with the airport in the Binhai New Area of Tianjin playing a greater role and the Zhengding Airport in Shijiazhuang becoming more competitive.
