(Yicai Global) Feb. 25 -- The overall mileage of China’s transport network, including railways, roads and bridges, will reach 700,000 kilometers by 2035, the country’s cabinet said yesterday.

There will be 200,000 kms of railways, 460,000 kms of roads and 25,000 kms of bridges in 14-years’ time, the State Council said. China will have 400 airports, 27 coastal ports, 36 riverside ports and 80 postal hubs by then. The infrastructure will be convenient, cost efficient, green, smart and reliable, it said.

All this will enable China to achieve the ‘1,2,3 transport circle’ at home by 2035, which refers to reducing all commutes in cities to under one hour, travel between city clusters to two hours and having all major municipalities just a three-hour journey away from each other.

It will also accomplish the ‘global 1,2,3 rapid delivery circle,' slashing the delivery times of goods both at home and abroad. China’s commodities will be able to reach all domestic customers within one day, those living in neighboring nations within two days and those in the world’s major cities within three days.

The demand for both passenger transport and freight will continue to increase steadily, the cabinet said. The number of travelers is expected to be grow at a yearly rate of 3.2 percent from next year to 2035, parcel delivery at 2 percent and postal delivery at 6.3 percent. Demand for cross-border deliveries and bulk cargo will remain high.

Existing facilities will be upgraded to improve their levels of interconnection and intelligentization, it said. For instance, the country will promote the Beidou satellite navigation network, apply new generation telecoms technologies and spur the development of smart and connected vehicles.

Editor: Kim Taylor