Chongqing - Chongqing has strengthened its role as an international transport hub, investing over 14 billion U.S. dollars annually during China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, the national roadmap for 2021–2025, an official announced at an October 13 press conference.
He Qing, director of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Transport, said that under the strategic guidance of the central government, the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle has been elevated to one of the nation's four major transportation clusters, alongside the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Chongqing's multidimensional transport network under the light of dawn. (Photo/Chongqing City Transportation Development & Investment Group)
He added that Chongqing’s annual transport investment has grown by around 6% on average, driving the development of an integrated, multidimensional network that now stretches 194,000 kilometers. The city’s railway system alone has expanded to 3,130 kilometers, including 1,356 kilometers of high-speed lines—a 62% increase since the previous plan.
Why invest? Located in southwest China, Chongqing combines a thriving metropolis with vast rural hinterlands. This dual nature drives investment in transport infrastructure to connect its interior with major markets across China and beyond, promoting balanced urban-rural development and greater regional integration.
Chongqing's expressway network expanded to 4,702 kilometers. Every county in the municipality is now connected by expressway, ending decades of isolation for remote areas such as Chengkou County. Over 20,000 kilometers of regular roads were newly built or upgraded, with 87% of townships now linked by highways and 98% of villages connected by paved roads - improving rural accessibility.
In addition, the city's navigable waterways for vessels of 1,000 tons or more extended to 1,140 kilometers, while port cargo handling capacity reached 230 million tons, up 10%, ranking among the top inland ports in China. The completion of major upgrades has established Chongqing as a key shipping center in the upper Yangtze River.
In aviation, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport added a fourth runway and Terminal 3B, while Wanzhou and Qianjiang airports expanded with new terminals. The city's total passenger handling capacity rose to 84.08 million annually, an 81% increase from 2020. Chongqing now operates 35 international and regional passenger routes, linking Europe, North America, and Oceania.
Furthermore, Chongqing has strengthened its freight and logistics capabilities, becoming one of China's first cities selected for the national freight hub enhancement program. 60% of industrial parks with an annual freight volume exceeding 1.5 million tons now have rail transport access, while seven out of ten planned rail-water intermodal ports are operational. Jiangbei International Airport ranked ninth nationwide in air cargo and mail throughput in 2024.
Efforts to reduce logistics costs and improve efficiency led to intermodal rail-water transport accounting for 10% of total freight, while the ratio of logistics costs to GDP decreased to 13.4%, 0.7 percentage points below the national average.
Green development has also advanced. The Chongqing-Guizhou-Guangxi expressway hydrogen corridor was completed, over 20,000 outdated freight trucks were phased out, and 100% of newly added and replaced buses and taxis in central Chongqing are now electric. The city became the first in China to achieve "zero discharge" of ship pollutants, with the model now being promoted along the Yangtze River.