(Yicai) May 7 -- China has released a blueprint to digitally transform the nation's transport infrastructure through 2027.

The country will tackle infrastructure and logistics problems through unified standards, digital transformation initiatives and expansion of the Beidou satellite navigation system, according to a plan recently released by the transport ministry.

“Digitalizing standards is crucial for improving the efficiency and quality of standardization management,” Gong Shengchen, deputy director of the ministry’s science and technology department, said during an online briefing today.

The plan highlights the challenges of fragmented management across the rail, road, waterway, and aviation sectors, which lead to inconsistent infrastructure planning.

Issues include some ports lacking direct rail links and mismatches in size and load capacity between rail container cars and shipping containers, leading to inefficient usage of space.

Additionally, disconnected data systems among the rail, highway, port, and customs authorities have created “information silos” that hinder comprehensive monitoring and optimized scheduling.

Misaligned standards between transportation and industries like energy and tourism, such as mismatched charging infrastructure for new energy logistics vehicles, are also hindering green development in multimodal transport.

The plan aims to strengthen the connectivity of multimodal freight facilities, enhancing data sharing, and integrating transportation with the energy and tourism sectors, Gong noted.

It also intends to advance the digital transformation of infrastructure, support the development of autonomous driving and vehicle-road coordination, promote the construction of smart port and shipping systems, expand the use of the Beidou system, and foster development of the low-altitude economy.

Editor: Tom Litting