Since 2026, the multimodal transport improvement plan jointly issued by multiple departments has continued to be implemented. Various regions have carried out special upgrading work around clearing freight congestion points, optimizing transportation structures, and innovating intermodal transport modes, steadily promoting the integrated development of road, rail, water, and air multimodal transport, promoting the transformation of animal flow transportation from a single road mode to a multi-mode collaborative linkage mode, and helping the logistics operating costs of the whole society to steadily decline.

For a long time, the main factors affecting the overall operational efficiency of logistics have been the lack of unified standards for different transportation modes, cumbersome transfer and connection processes, and incompatible station facilities. Some bulk goods and cross regional sources of goods rely on long-distance road transportation, resulting in high energy consumption and transportation costs, and various transportation resources have not fully utilized their respective advantages. This campaign focuses on the shortcomings of the intermodal transportation chain, with a particular emphasis on promoting interconnectivity of hub facilities, standardization of operations, and sharing of information and data, gradually breaking down barriers between different modes of transportation.

In terms of hardware upgrades, comprehensive freight hubs in various regions are accelerating the transformation of intermodal dedicated platforms, container transfer channels, and loading and unloading supporting equipment, to enhance the connectivity between railways, water transportation, and highways. By relying on optimization measures such as "transforming from scattered to centralized transportation, revolving railway, and revolving water", we will guide the transfer of bulk goods such as coal, building materials, grain, and industrial raw materials to high-capacity and low-energy railway and waterway transportation, effectively alleviate the pressure on trunk road freight transportation, and improve the stability of bulk material transportation.

In terms of operation mode, the industry continues to promote the "one order system" service model for multimodal transportation, integrating booking, transportation, transit, delivery and other links to achieve one-time commission, full process transportation, and full process controllability. The unified waybill system reduces the process of multiple declarations and repeated verifications, improving the efficiency of cross transportation of goods. At the same time, relying on digital information platforms, real-time communication of cargo trajectories, station operations, and vehicle schedules is possible, allowing enterprises to accurately grasp the status of cargo transportation and make reasonable arrangements for loading, unloading, warehousing, and distribution plans.

From the perspective of industry operation data, with the continuous improvement of the multimodal transport system, the comprehensive intermodal freight volume maintained steady growth in the first half of the year, the unit cost of trunk transportation steadily fell, and the duration of goods transit and detention significantly shortened. The large-scale development of multimodal transport not only optimizes the overall transportation structure, but also further enhances the carrying capacity of cross regional supply chains, making the cross regional circulation of bulk materials and industrial products smoother.

Industry leaders have stated that multimodal transport is an important lever for improving the quality and efficiency of modern logistics systems. In the future, various regions will continue to improve intermodal supporting facilities, optimize transportation organization models, improve intermodal service standards, continuously clear freight congestion points, continuously improve comprehensive logistics transportation efficiency, and provide stable and low-cost logistics support for the high-quality development of the real economy.