With the goal of constructing Qingdao into a transportation hub in Northeast Asia and a comprehensive transportation hub city in China, in the past 5 years Qingdao has vigorously reinforced the transport infrastructure construction. A batch of key projects has been completed or are under construction. Qingdao is hastening to connect with China and the world and the position as a sea, land, and air transport hub city is increasingly obvious.

    In terms of the railway, on January 2014, the Qingdao North Railway Station was formally put into operation. As a comprehensive transfer station integrating various transport means including railway, subway and long-distance passenger transport, the Qingdao North Railway Station has gradually become an important hub in Qingdao general communications pattern. On November 2016, the Qingdao-Rongcheng intercity railway has fully opened to traffic and the geographic distance among city complexes in Shandong Peninsula. The Qingdao-Lian Yun Gang Railway and Jinan-Qingdao Railway, which will introduce Qingdao into the nationwide railway network, have successively initiated the construction in the past 5 years and they are planning to open to traffic at the end of 2018. After the completion of Qingdao-Lian Yun Gang Railway, the transport distance by train between Qingdao and Shanghai will be shortened to 800km from 1,400km now. After the Jinan-Qingdao Railway is completed, it will only take 1 hour directly from Jinan to Qingdao. By the end of 2020, Qingdao will build up a railway network, in which the Qingdao Railway Station, Qingdao North Railway Station, Qingdao West Railway Station, Hongdao Station will become the hubs and the Jinan-Qingdao CRH, Qingdao-Lian Yun Gang Railway, Jiaoji Passenger Bus, Qingdao-Rongcheng intercity railway, and Weifang-Laiyang CRH line will act as the major lines. Qingdao will transform itself from a railway destination city to a railway hub.

    In terms of airport, the total number of air routes has increased to 146 in 2016 (including 17 international air lines) from 109 in 2012 (including 11 international air lines) and direct connection has been achieved with major regional cities in Asia, Europe, America, and Australia. The Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport is under rapid construction and it is planned to make acceptance inspection and handover in 2019. By 2025, the passenger throughput will reach 35 million person times and cargo throughput will be 0.5 million tons and the Liuting International Airport will become a regional gateway airport connecting Japan and South Korea and an international air freight hub airport in cross-Bohai region.

    In terms of port, the Qingdao old port area has been upgraded into the cruise homeport, which opened on May 2015 and has cumulatively received 125 cruise home port voyages and 0.15 million cruise tourists. Dong Jia Kou Port is on a speedy pace to become an international deep-water port of the 4th generation and dominated by logistic transaction and the handling capacity is growing up. In 2016 the Dong Jia Kou Port has been approved to open. From then Qingdao has two class-1 seaports, namely the Qingdao Port and Dong Jia Kou Port and it is of great significance to enhance its function as the shipping hub in northeast Asia.

    In terms of highway, the section of the Yantai Longkou-Qingdao Railway in Qingdao has opened to traffic on September 2015. This transport artery with the total length of 89.6km in Shandong Peninsula will further promote and facilitate economic integration in Shandong Peninsula. The extension and alternation project of Jinan-Qingdao Highway, an important gallery for Qingdao to connect other places in China and a highway artery passing through 5 cities in the middle part of Shandong Province, has commenced on December 2015 and will be completed as scheduled on June 2019. After the alternation, it will work with the Qingdao-Lanzhou Highway connecting cities in middle and west China to further enhance the Chinese transport capability between the east and west. Zhou Jianliang (CRH is passing in Qingdao North Railway Station. By Fu Xuejun)