On February 28, with the approval of Premier Li Keqiang, the State Council issued the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of a Modern Comprehensive Transport System" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"), which sets out the guiding ideology, development goals and main tasks for the development of a modern comprehensive transport system during the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

The Plan points out that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, China's transport development is in a critical period of supporting the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, a key period of optimizing the network layout, and a transition period of improving quality, efficiency and upgrading, and will enter a new stage of modernization. It is necessary to adhere to the fundamental purpose of transport serving the people, focus on improving development quality and comprehensive efficiency, take optimizing the service supply structure as the main line, strive to improve the infrastructure network, strengthen the integrated connection of transport services, improve the intelligent level of operation and management, and promote a green and safe development model, so as to accelerate the improvement of the modern comprehensive transport system, better leverage the supporting and leading role of transport in economic and social development, and lay a solid foundation for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

The Plan proposes that by 2020, a safe, convenient, efficient and green modern comprehensive transport system will be basically completed, and some regions and fields will take the lead in basically realizing the modernization of transport. Network coverage will be densified and expanded, comprehensive connections will be integrated and efficient, transport services will be improved and upgraded, intelligent technologies will be widely applied, and the level of green and safety will be raised. High-speed rail will cover more than 80% of cities with an urban resident population of more than 1 million; railways, expressways and civil aviation transport airports will basically cover cities with a population of more than 200,000; the operating mileage of urban rail transit will nearly double compared with 2015; oil and gas trunk pipeline networks will develop rapidly; and the total mileage of the comprehensive transport network will reach about 5.4 million kilometers.

The Plan sets out eight key tasks for transport development. First, improve the networked layout of infrastructure, build multi-directional and interconnected comprehensive transport corridors, build a high-quality rapid transport network, strengthen a highly efficient ordinary trunk network, and expand a widely covering basic service network. Second, strengthen the strategic supporting role, build open interconnection corridors for the "Belt and Road", build a new pattern of transport for coordinated regional development, give play to the basic supporting role of transport in poverty alleviation, and develop intercity and urban transport that leads new urbanization. Third, accelerate the process of integrated transport services, optimize the layout of comprehensive transport hubs, improve the safety and convenience of passenger transport services, promote the intensive and efficient development of freight services, enhance international transport service capabilities, and develop advanced and applicable technical equipment. Fourth, improve the intelligent level of transport development and promote intelligent transformation of the transport industry. Fifth, promote green development of transport and strengthen ecological protection and pollution prevention and control. Sixth, strengthen the construction of the safety and emergency support system and strengthen safety production management. Seventh, expand new areas and new forms of transport, actively guide new transport consumption, and create a new model of transport and logistics integration. Eighth, comprehensively deepen reforms in the transport management system, transport marketization, and transport investment and financing.

The Plan emphasizes that it is necessary to strengthen the organization and implementation of the plan and improve relevant supporting policies and measures; increase policy support and strengthen combined policy support such as land, investment and subsidies; improve the legal and standards system; strengthen transport scientific and technological innovation and improve the scientific and technological content and technical level of development; and cultivate a diverse talent team and train urgently needed high-level and highly skilled talents.