Chongqing Municipal People’s Government recently released the Action Plan to Fuel Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle Construction and Catalyse Transportation Infrastructure Building (2020-2022) to develop infrastructure and a modern comprehensive transport system in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle.

The Plan sets the following goals for the three years: investing 420 billion yuan (about 64 billion U. S. dollars); seeing the length of trunk lines (expressways, national/provincial highways, pipelines, etc.) under construction reach 6,500 km; establishing nine basic networks; carrying out 40 projects with over 10 billion yuan of investment.

According to the Plan, transport should be the forerunner of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle construction. Chongqing can speed up shaping a comprehensive transport network in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, which features multi-level rails, multi-lane expressways, waterways with a deadweight exceeding 1,000 tons, twin-hub airports, interconnected pipelines, express delivery covering rural areas, and integrated transport.

Also, Chongqing and Chengdu can accelerate the forming of two high-speed rails and 8-lane expressways and develop four multi-directional, interconnected, and efficient 1-hour transport circles in a bid to support the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle construction.

The above-mentioned nine basic networks contain a railway network that integrates trunk railways, intercity railways, suburban railways, and urban railways; a road network with wide coverage; a water transport network connecting rivers and seas; an aviation network accessible to domestic cities and foreign countries; a pipeline network with interconnected trunk and branch lines; a postal network linking urban and rural areas; a smooth comprehensive transport network; a smooth transport service network; an innovative and green smart transport network.

During the implementation, Chongqing will adhere to the following principles: cooperating with regions under the leadership of Chengdu and Chongqing; reaching out to the outside world with opening-up and innovation; prioritizing ecology to realize green development; developing with joint efforts.

"The Plan is also a critical measure of Chongqing to participate in the creation of a new development pattern featuring dual circulation," said the person in charge of the release of the Plan. "Specifically, by setting a foothold on the Belt and Road, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor."