“Not long ago, a China–Europe freight train (the Zhongyu service), loaded with solar photovoltaic modules, wind turbine towers, and other goods, slowly departed from the CR Intermodal Zhengzhou Center Station, passed through Alashankou, and headed for Hamburg, Germany, thousands of miles away.”

Over the past decade, the China-Europe Railway Express (Zhongyu service) has operated with increasing frequency and speed, with cumulative departures exceeding With 8,000 train services and a business network spanning more than 40 countries and over 140 cities, it has established an international multimodal logistics network featuring multiple terminals, routes, and border crossings.

Multimodal transport “The single‑document system” and the “single‑container system” are effective means of promoting high‑quality development of multimodal transport and an essential requirement for building a modern, integrated transportation system. Recently, the Ministry of Transport and several other departments issued the “Opinions on Accelerating the Development of the Multimodal Transport ‘Single‑Document System’ and ‘Single‑Container System’” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”), further advancing the high‑quality development of multimodal transport, driving improvements in the quality, efficiency, and upgrading of transport and logistics, and better supporting the goal of ensuring the smooth flow of goods.

Several experts have stated that the “Opinions” clearly outline the direction for multimodal transport in the current period and over the coming years. The overarching vision, development objectives, and key tasks for advancing the “single‑document” and “single‑container” systems are of great significance for building a modern, integrated transportation system, better supporting the establishment of a new development paradigm, and accelerating the country’s efforts to become a transportation powerhouse.

People enjoy smooth travel, and goods flow freely.
Multimodal transport paves the way for high-quality economic development. “Aorta”

Some civil aviation and railway enterprises have jointly launched With the “Air-Rail Intermodal” service, passengers can place an order with a single click and purchase tickets in one go.

Expansion of Key Ports End-to-end integrated “door-to-door” services, exploring innovative “single‑document multimodal transport” solutions.

Chongqing, Chengdu, Yiwu, Wuhan, and other cities are leveraging the China–Europe Railway Express to explore the functions of railway waybills as documents of title and innovative financing models.

In recent years, centered around “Single‑ticket,” “single‑document,” and “single‑container” models—various multimodal transport approaches—are being continuously explored and innovated across China.

“The development of integrated transport services under the ‘single‑ticket,’ ‘single‑document,’ and ‘single‑container’ models serves as a crucial vehicle for realizing the vision of ‘people enjoying convenient travel and goods flowing smoothly,’ and constitutes an essential component of building a modern, integrated transportation system and accelerating the country’s efforts to become a transportation powerhouse,” said Han Jinghua, Deputy Director-General of the Transport Services Department of the Ministry of Transport.

According to Han Jinghua, “The ‘One‑Ticket System’ aims to enable passengers to “purchase a single ticket, make a single payment, and travel with one document (or QR code),” continuously enhancing the travel experience. The ‘One‑Document System’ seeks to achieve multimodal freight transport characterized by “a single document, a single entrustment, a single settlement, a single insurance policy, and end-to-end liability,” thereby boosting logistics quality, reducing costs, and improving efficiency. The ‘One‑Container System’ is designed to ensure “no container changes, no container openings, and seamless door‑to‑door delivery,” leveraging unitized cargo containers to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of transshipment operations.

Zheng Pingbiao, deputy director and researcher at the Institute of Transportation and Economics of China Academy of Railway Sciences Group Co., Ltd., stated in an interview with reporters that proactive efforts are being made to… “Single‑document and single‑container” approaches are continuously enhancing the efficiency of China’s multimodal transport services, driving the restructuring and optimization of the transport sector, and fostering a modern, integrated transportation system that better supports the acceleration of the new development paradigm and contributes to high‑quality economic growth.

“Developing a ‘single‑document’ and ‘single‑container’ system for multimodal transport is an effective lever for reducing logistics costs and boosting efficiency,” said Liu Xin, Director of the Planning Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport and Deputy Secretary of its Party Committee. He noted that multimodal transport features long supply chains, high resource utilization, and significant overall benefits, enabling it to fully leverage the comparative advantages and synergistic efficiencies of different modes of transport, thus serving as an effective means of lowering logistics costs and enhancing productivity.

In recent years, Chongqing Municipality has leveraged major outbound corridors such as the New Western Land-Sea Passage and the China–Europe Railway Express to pilot multimodal transport. “Single‑document system”: Issue a single‑document bill of lading for rail–sea intermodal transport, enabling “one‑time entrustment, one document throughout, one insurance policy, one container to the final destination, and one settlement.”

As of In July 2023, Chongqing Municipality had issued a cumulative total of over 9,700 rail-sea intermodal bills of lading and international railway bills of lading, with a combined cargo value of approximately RMB 4.46 billion.
Adopt multiple measures and implement unified planning.
Multimodal transport under a single document system The single-box system is ushering in new opportunities.

China has consistently attached great importance to the development of multimodal transport and the restructuring of the transportation system. Since… Since 2016, the Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with the National Development and Reform Commission, has launched four batches of 116 multimodal transport demonstration projects, focusing on infrastructure connectivity, information sharing, and mode optimization to drive innovative development in multimodal transport.

The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China called for building an efficient and smooth circulation system and reducing logistics costs. In At the 2023 National Transportation Work Conference, the Ministry of Transport once again emphasized the need to promote the “single‑container system.”

In March 2023, the Ministry of Transport, the National Railway Administration, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the State Post Bureau, and China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. jointly issued the Five-Year Action Plan for Accelerating the Building of a Transportation Powerhouse (2023–2027), calling for the launch of a special campaign on multimodal freight transport, the vigorous promotion of the “single‑document” system in multimodal transport, and the organization of pilot projects to implement this system. The plan also, for the first time, proposed conducting in-depth research into and promoting the “single‑container” model.

Zheng Pingbiao stated that the introduction of these policies and the implementation of these projects have facilitated multimodal transport. The development of the “single‑document system” and the “single‑container system” has been underpinned by robust policy support and a solid practical foundation.

Liu Zhanshan, deputy director of the Water Transport Science Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, told reporters that, with the issuance and implementation of the “Opinions,” container transport has now… The “one-box system” has been elevated to a national-level strategic initiative and will continue to guide the industry’s development over the long term.

Liu Zhanshan pointed out that container transport “The ‘single‑box’ model” is a new approach proposed to address the current challenges in China—namely, the systemic and institutional costs associated with intermodal transport connectivity. It aligns with the evolving needs of the transportation market and entails that, during transshipment between different modes of transport, containers remain sealed throughout the entire journey, thereby achieving “one box to the end.”

Among them, “No container changes en route” requires that containers be compatible across different modes of transport, with the transshipment process involving only lifting and handling of the container unit, without the need to unload or re‑stow the cargo inside. “No opening of the container throughout the journey” mandates that cargo inspections be conducted solely at the origin and destination, eliminating the need to open the container for secondary inspection during transit.

Liu Xin stated that achieving… The “single‑document” and “single‑container” systems must advance information sharing, harmonized rules, seamless transport flows, and integrated resource allocation. They represent a comprehensive upgrade, transformation, and reengineering of all elements in the transport chain, as well as a systemic innovation and reform of the integrated transport system, playing a crucial role in providing robust support and serving as a pioneering model for accelerating the development of a transportation powerhouse.
Overcome the difficulties Addressing pain points
Six areas to enhance multimodal transport service levels

In recent years, China has… Although the “single‑ticket system,” “single‑document system,” and “single‑container system” have achieved initial success, container transport under the “single‑container system”—primarily manifested in intermodal rail–water transport—has experienced rapid growth. According to statistics, in the first half of 2023, national ports handled 4.77 million TEUs via rail–water intermodal container transport, a year-on-year increase of 9.2%.

However, the development of multimodal transport in China still faces challenges such as a lack of data and information sharing, an insufficient variety of service offerings, inconsistencies in institutional frameworks, inadequate support mechanisms, and underdeveloped capacity among market operators.

In response, Han Jinghua stated that the “Opinions” will enhance the level of multimodal transport services in six key areas:

First, we will promote the interconnection and sharing of multimodal transport information, accelerate the opening up of multimodal transport data, support the development of integrated multimodal transport information services, and widely implement standardized multimodal electronic waybills.

Second, we will promote innovation in the application of international multimodal transport documents, accelerate the adoption and implementation of international multimodal transport bills of lading, and advance the development of electronic bills of lading for international multimodal transport.

Third, expand multimodal transport. The “single‑document” service model seeks to confer property‑right‑certifying functions on multimodal transport documents, to develop financial and insurance services under the multimodal “single‑document” framework, and to streamline customs clearance and regulatory procedures for multimodal transport.

Fourth, improve the multimodal transport system. The “single‑container” service system has refined the “no‑box‑change‑en route” cooperation mechanism, streamlined end‑to‑end “no‑unboxing” process management, and enhanced the capability to deliver goods “from door to door in a single container.”

Fifth, vigorously cultivate multimodal transport operators, encourage leading enterprises to transform into such operators, and guide related businesses to strengthen coordination and collaboration.

Sixth, refine multimodal transport standards and regulations, and improve the multimodal transport system. The “single‑document” standard promotes the harmonization of multimodal transport service regulations.

Liu Xin stated that developing multimodal transport… The “single‑document” and “single‑container” approaches aim to enhance the quality and expand the scope of multimodal transport by implementing a package of policy measures—such as promoting standardized documentation, fostering seamless information and data interconnectivity, broadening the range of document‑related services, and cultivating leading multimodal transport operators—thereby further unlocking the cost‑reduction and efficiency‑boosting benefits of multimodal transport and making a tangible contribution to building a modern circulation system and driving greater cost efficiency in logistics.

In 2018, to better serve foreign trade enterprises and support local economic development, the Ningbo–Zhoushan Port Group took the lead in signing end-to-end sea‑rail intermodal transport agreements (Sea‑Rail Intermodal CCA Agreements) with several major shipping lines on the “Chongqing–Ningbo Corridor” operating platform. These agreements stipulate that customers using the “Chongqing–Ningbo Corridor” for sea‑rail intermodal transport can complete local booking, bill of lading issuance, and container resource sharing in Chongqing, thereby officially launching a multimodal, door-to-door “single‑document” transportation model and ushering in a new development paradigm integrating port operations with logistics services.
As of now, The “Chongqing–Ningbo Corridor” sea-rail intermodal train service has operated more than 1,500 runs to date, serving over 300 enterprises in Chongqing and surrounding regions and handling more than 40,000 TEUs of full‑container cargo along the entire route.

In addition, with regard to multimodal transport Addressing challenges such as difficulties in information sharing encountered during the implementation of the “single‑document” system, the Opinions propose refining market‑based mechanisms for the development and utilization of enterprise data across rail, road, and waterway sectors; clarifying the scope of data to be made publicly available for each mode of transport; and encouraging and supporting leading railway, road, waterway, and third‑party logistics enterprises to transform into integrated multimodal transport information service providers. At the same time, domestic intermodal transport solutions—combining road and rail, or rail and water—will be guided toward adopting standardized bills of lading, with further efforts to explore the harmonization of multimodal transport documents across land, sea, and air, and to develop a supply‑chain service platform that links production and distribution while integrating logistics and trade.

Han Jinghua stated that, in the next phase, the Ministry of Transport will continue to work with relevant departments and institutions to refine institutional frameworks and standards, strengthen policy support, and organize pilot and demonstration projects, in order to… The development of the “single‑ticket system,” the “single‑document system,” and the “single‑container system” is fostering a favorable environment and accelerating the establishment of a modern, integrated transportation system.