A city's grandeur is embedded within its far-reaching arteries. During the five years of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Huai'an's transportation network has been continuously densified, with its hub capacity steadily upgraded, creating a dynamic convergence of everyday life and development momentum. The flow of vehicles, ships, and aircraft has etched the marks of "major corridors, extensive networks, and key hubs" across the Jianghuai region, writing the "Transportation Power" report into the fabric of daily life and the city's rise. The Hongze Lake Tourist Highway was selected for the national "2025 Beautiful Highway Project."

Water transport is being revitalized: ancient rivers carry heritage into a new journey. Huai'an's waters are a millennium-old lifeline and a dynamic footnote in its transportation upgrade. As the capital of the Grand Canal, the Huai River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal intertwine to create a unique water transport gene. Since the start of the "14th Five-Year Plan," Huai'an has leveraged the "Water Transport Jiangsu" initiative to revitalize its ancient waterways, extending second-class waterways from 91 kilometers to 297 kilometers. This growth is not merely numerical; it represents a leap in cargo vessel navigation capacity and the realization of the "access to rivers and seas" dream. On the Huai River seaward channel, thousand-ton cargo vessels shuttle busily. The green shipping remediation project for the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal has endowed this golden waterway with both aesthetic appeal and substance, showcasing ecological elegance. Tributaries like the Mojian River, characterized by their "small, agile, and smart" nature, link ports and industrial parks, ensuring the efficient flow of billions-worth of industrial materials. With the operational launch of modern terminals like Huai'an Port Phase III and Huangma Port, featuring 180 thousand-ton berths coupled with digital-intelligent scheduling, container throughput capacity has surged by 248.6% compared to the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan," signaling the inland river port's advance towards an international hub.

The Changshen Expressway Huai'an-Lianyungang section expansion project's Huai'an segment mainline has been completed and opened to traffic. If water transport is the root system, then highways and railways are Huai'an's extending skeleton. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the Huai'an sections of the Jinghu and Changshen Expressways were expanded from four to eight lanes and opened, alleviating traffic bottlenecks, while the "four-to-eight" expansion of the Xinyang Expressway is steadily progressing. Investment in trunk highways reached 4.576 billion yuan, with 136 kilometers of new routes opened, increasing the total mileage by 30% compared to the "13th Five-Year Plan," continuously shortening urban-rural distances. By the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan," a comprehensive road network of 13,753 kilometers has been woven, bringing convenient travel to both urban and rural areas. The roar of high-speed trains heralds the city's acceleration. The Ninghuai Railway has commenced full-scale construction; by the end of 2025, piling, cap, and pier construction for the Huai'an section were largely complete, with girder erection progress reaching 89%, paving a fast track for integration into the core Yangtze River Delta region. The operational launch of the Ninghuai platform at Huai'an East Station and its ancillary buildings marks its entry into the "ten-million passenger era," enabling one-hour connectivity to Northern Jiangsu, two-hour links to Southern Jiangsu, and four-hour access to Beijing, making distant places feel within reach.

Maersk's MFS California Municipal Fund business launches at Huai'an Port. The airport spreads its wings: building a bridge of openness in the clouds. The air gateway has broadened Huai'an's open格局. Huai'an Airport put into operation 8 remote stands and a new X1 taxiway, upgrading its operational capacity. Northern Jiangsu's first cross-border e-commerce forward warehouse was established, and the Huai'an to Osaka international all-cargo flight route was launched, pioneering the "domestic mixed-load continuation + one aircraft, multiple stops" model, empowering foreign trade. Its selection as one of the first visual flight rule (VFR) units for small and medium-sized airports in the East China region of the Civil Aviation Administration of China demonstrates its intelligent and standardized operational strength.

The Ninghuai Intercity Railway Station Front Section 1 Bid Huai'an Beam Yard completed all box girder pre-casting tasks. Quality and warmth are integrated: daily life permeates the people's livelihood road. Ultimately, transportation development must serve the people. Over the past five years, Huai'an's transportation sector has pursued both speed and warmth. Clear planning for ride-hailing pickup points at Huai'an East Station and an "integrated, unidirectional, orderly" transfer flow have resolved travel difficulties, with the meticulous guidance of law enforcement personnel reflecting the city's gentleness. Safety is the foundation of transportation's warmth. Huai'an advanced 176 tasks under the safety "Three-Year Intensive Campaign," carried out "fundamental improvement" actions, and established a "supportive" supervision mechanism. The removal of 939 affiliated vehicles, the closure of 13 ferry crossings, and the rectification of 48 problematic bridges have tightened the safety net. The construction of 1 ministry-level and 2 provincial-level safety demonstration roads, along with the advancement of 490 kilometers of trunk highway safety projects, and the successful hosting of a provincial-level highway traffic emergency drill, demonstrate robust risk response capabilities. Green and smart initiatives are footnotes to high-quality development. As a national green travel city, Huai'an completed the green remediation of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, popularized highway charging piles, retrofitted shore power facilities for 326 vessels, and achieved a 73.6% green travel rate, putting ecological concepts into practice. Taking the lead in formulating the "Specifications for Green Rural Highway Construction" filled an industry gap. Smart applications make transportation more efficient. The Yangtze River Delta's "One Code Pass" enables cross-regional transfers, the diesel truck service platform allows full online processing, and 5G+ drone patrols enhance regulatory efficiency. Huai'an Lianshui International Airport's selection for the national smart civil aviation pilot program shows how new technologies tangibly benefit the public. Transportation dividends enrich rural life. Granny Zhang from Hubin Village, Huaiyin District, benefits from urban-rural buses: "A bus every 20 minutes, free with the senior card, makes selling vegetables much easier!" Ten routes cover 14 administrative villages, opening channels for both travel and the "vegetable basket." A three-level county-town-village logistics network and 155 integrated transport-postal routes allow villagers in Xuyi to pick up parcels "at their doorstep," narrowing the urban-rural divide. The 164-kilometer Hongze Lake Tourist Highway is a standout chapter in rural transportation. It connects lake scenery with hopes for prosperity, was selected as one of the top 10 events in national Grand Canal conservation and utilization, and was rated a national beautiful highway. A homestay owner remarked, "With the road open, more tourists come, and income is no longer a worry!" allowing rural vitality and urban prosperity to coexist.

Container transport at Huai'an Port. Party building guides the way: converging momentum for the future. Smooth transportation gathers development动能. Addressing the transportation challenges of Trina Solar, Huai'an customized a multimodal transport solution; sea-rail intermodal transport saved 30% in costs, and river-sea direct routes shortened transport time by 48 hours. Over five years, 8 intermodal routes were opened, container intermodal volume grew 2.2 times, and 4 provincial-level premium routes were established, highlighting the "Huai'an Hub" advantage. Through cooperation with Shanghai International Port Group and the Jiangsu Provincial Port Group, Huai'an Port integrated into the global shipping system, attracting 15 international shipping companies. Annual logistics cost savings for key enterprises exceeded 300 million yuan, and inland river container throughput reached 2.36 times that of the end of the "13th Five-Year Plan," injecting strong momentum into economic development. Party building has guided the transportation transformation. The "Party Member Pioneer" freight trucks help drivers increase income, while 14 "Red Transport Stations," the "Hongyun on the Huai" brand, and the "Truck Driver Care Month" make the mobile workforce feel warmth, ensuring mobile Party members "leave their hometown but not the Party." The "Huai Water Nurtures Enterprises" Party building alliance signed agreements, a "2+3+N" Party building brand matrix took shape, the "Huai Water Nurtures Enterprises" alliance empowers businesses, and "Huai E Xing" was selected as a national brand for law enforcement serving the people. At project sites like the Jinbao Channel and Huai'an Port Phase III, Party flags fly high, with Party members charging ahead, leading transportation development with high-quality Party building.

Five years have witnessed a dramatic transformation of Huai'an's transportation landscape. Comprehensive upgrades in water, road, rail, and air transport, coupled with multidimensional breakthroughs in safety, green development, intelligence, and livelihood, have woven a transportation network that forms the foundation for a national hub and the confidence to stride into the future. Looking ahead to the "15th Five-Year Plan," Huai'an will continue to densify its three-dimensional transport network and strengthen its hub economy. The aspirations in the waterways, the dreams on the roads, and the hopes in the skies will ultimately converge into a powerful force for high-quality development, continuing the chapter of "smooth access in all directions, empowering the future." These five sizzling years are already etched into Huai'an's经纬 and hidden within the smiles of its people.