Shandong province recently released plans to optimize its port resources and build a coastal port cluster led by Qingdao Port. 

The "Implementation Plan for Shandong Province to Promote Adjustment of Transport Structure (2018-2020)" stipulated the work to promote the development of its railway transport capacity, water transport system, road freight, multimodal transport and rural and urban distribution. 

The plan prioritizes the collection and distribution model of bulk cargo by highlighting the advantages of multimodal transport. By 2020, railway and waterways will, according to the plan, mainly undertake the long-distance transportation of bulk cargo, such as coal, mineral and coke. The port and railway transportation volume as well as container multimodal transport volume are expected to increase at a rapid speed.

To build a modern port cluster, the province will speed up the construction of a collection and distribution system of harbor districts by developing Dongjiakou harbor district of Qingdao port, Lanshan harbor district of Rizhao port, and Xigang harbor district of Yantai port, promote the coordinated development of the ports around Bohai and Weihai port, and carry out the projects of constructing an automatic container terminal at Qinwan harbor district of Qingdao port and a large-scale bulk cargo terminal at Lanshan harbor district of Rizhao port. 

To improve upon and expand the rail network, the province will expand and revamp trunk railways including Luanshan Shugang railway and Zaozhuang Shugang railway. It will also upgrade the relevant facilities at major stations, such as Jixi Station, Lancunxi Station and Hungdao Station, as a way of improving railway transportation capacity. More trains will operate between major areas, such as Qingdao, Zhengzhou and Rizhao. 

To promote multimodal transport, the province will develop a batch of transport hub cities. It will build Jinan, central areas of Shandong, Dongying and Lijin into highway-railway combined transport hubs, and Qingdao, Yantai and Rizhao into sea-railway combined transport hubs. 

The province will also improve the sea-railway combined transportation along the railways linking to cities outside the province, such as Zhengzhou in Henan province and Chengdu in Sichuan province, and to further afield destinations, such as Europe and South Korea.

A heavy-duty truck transports containers at a foreign trade container terminal in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on June 8, 2018. [Photo/VCG] 

Containers carrying goods for export are seen in Qingdao Port, East China's Shandong province, on Oct 19, 2018. [Photo/VCG]

The freight train, heads for Moscow from the Rizhao Port in Shandong province, on Nov 28, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]