Transportation serves as the lifeline that connects a region's urban fabric. Its reach and operational efficiency directly determine the cohesion and core competitiveness of the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area.

As the central engine driving the revitalization of Jilin Province, the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area is systematically developing an intelligent three-dimensional transport network characterized by high traffic efficiency and seamless internal and external connectivity. This network links traffic infrastructure as the "skeleton" and key projects as the "veins". It serves not merely a physical linkage that dismantles urban barriers and facilitates accessibility; rather, it constitutes a strategic endeavor to restructure the flow of resources, foster integrated and symbiotic growth, and achieve high-quality coordinated development.

The "one-hour commuting circle" represents more than a mere compression of time and space. It is a tangible manifestation of the metropolitan area's development philosophy centered on "connectivity" and "integration", and serves as an important medium for translating transportation convenience into tangible synergistic outcomes.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Jilin Province will launch a comprehensive campaign to enhance commuting efficiency, prioritizing the development of a one-hour commuting circle anchored by rail transit as the backbone, road networks as the foundation, and aviation hubs as the support. With connectivity as the foundation and integration as the objective, this initiative will inject sustained momentum into regional integration and delineate a new vision of shared prosperity within the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area.

Laying the Groundwork: A Three-Dimensional Transport Network Boosts Connectivity and Integration

Following years of dedicated development, the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area has established a solid foundation in transportation . The construction of the "one-hour commuting circle" not only delivers convenient access but also lays the groundwork for deeper integration.

With Changchun as the nucleus, a seamlessly coordinated air-rail-highway network has taken shape. The "cross-shaped" high-speed rail corridor extends north–south and east–west, with the Harbin–Dalian High-Speed Railway and the Changchun–Jilin–Hunchun Intercity Railway operating like silver streaks, enabling intercity travel within "hour-level" timeframes and dismantling spatial barriers to integration. The "two rings and eight radials" expressway network provides comprehensive regional coverage, linking surrounding municipalities such as Jilin City, Siping City, and Liaoyuan City like a belt, thereby substantially enhancing regional road accessibility and providing robust support for intercity collaboration. The Changchun Longjia International Airport, as a regional aviation hub, boasts a route network reaching across the globe, establishing an "aerial bridge" for opening up, facilitating external access, and rendering the metropolitan area's integrated development more globally connected.

At present, transportation development within the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area has entered an accelerated phase, advancing along a fast track of high-quality growth.

As the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, 2026 sees Jilin advancing key transportation projects across railways, highways, and airports in alignment with the core objective of the "one-hour commuting circle". In essence, this represents a strategic effort to leverage transportation empowerment to shift the metropolitan area from "geographic adjacency" toward "functional integration", thereby converting the advantages of connectivity into the concrete benefits of integration.

Focusing on three strategic directionsm—seamless hub transfers, integrated commuter services, and smart travel enablement, Jilin is addressing deficiencies, strengthening weak links, and enhancing operational efficiency, while continuing to refine its integrated multidimensional transportation system. The goal is to progressively upgrade metropolitan transportation from "interconnectivity" toward "efficient synergy", so as to smooth commutes, improve citizens' travel experiences, and lay a solid foundation for comprehensive integration in the region.

Accelerating the Progress: Key Projects Make Connectivity More Efficient and Integration More Profound

With the "one-hour commuting circle" as its target, Jilin Province is concentrating efforts on critical nodes and key breakthroughs, advancing projects simultaneously across railways, highways, and airports. This reflects a profound understanding of the principles governing metropolitan integration and constitutes a proactive measure to address regional imbalances and promote coordinated development. Each project is designed to render connectivity more efficient and integration more profound.

In tackling transportation bottlenecks, it is imperative not only to shore up weak links but, more importantly, to adopt a long-term strategic perspective.

Only by breaking transportation bottlenecks through project-driven efforts and unclogging the metropolitan area's key transport arteries through enhanced efficiency can cities achieve closer ties and more effective coordination, thereby securing the transportation foundation for high-quality metropolitan growth and removing key obstacles to comprehensive integration in the region.

The rail transit takes precedence in the construction of a "rail-based metropolitan area". Jilin Province is currently advancing preliminary work on a high-speed railway from Changchun via Siping and Liaoyuan to Tonghua, striving to commence construction at the earliest possible date. This will definitively end Liaoyuan's lack of high-speed rail access and realize the long-standing vision of "high-speed rail connectivity for all prefecture-level cities" within the province, bringing more cities into the "one-hour commuting circle" and expanding the scope of integration. Concurrently, efforts are underway to increase operating speeds and improve efficiency on the Harbin–Dalian High-Speed Railway and the Changchun–Jilin–Hunchun Intercity Railway, further reducing travel time to neighboring core cities such as Harbin and Shenyang. Jilin is also actively planning the introduction of suburban (commuter) rail services, so as to develop an integrated "intercity + suburban" rail transit system to facilitate more convenient and efficient cross-regional commuting, thereby bringing "seamless cross-city living" within reach and imbuing integration with everyday practicality.

The highway network is undergoing upgrades to form a new framework of "four rings and eleven radials". Key initiatives include the construction of ring and radial expressways within the metropolitan area and the expansion of congested sections. Notably, the western section of the Changchun One-Hour Metropolitan Area Economic Ring Expressway is progressing at full capacity, with overall completion reaching 73% and scheduled to open to traffic within the year. Upon completion, the metropolitan area's expressway ring will be fully connected, acting as a "golden belt" that enables closer connectivity and more efficient industrial coordination among surrounding cities and counties, thereby driving deeper industrial and resource integration. Upgrades to arterial highways such as the G102 Changchun Bypass Line are also underway, which can effectively divert through traffic, alleviate urban congestion, facilitate smoother urban travel, and remove transportation obstacles to seamless cross-city living.

The aviation hub is enhancing its quality and efficiency while continuously strengthening its gateway and driving role. The third-phase expansion of Changchun Longjia International Airport is advancing rapidly. Upon completion, the airport's annual passenger throughput capacity will reach to 38 million, with seamless connections to urban rail transit and efficient air-rail intermodal operations. This will enable smooth transitions between air travel and ground commuting, facilitate external access, and build a bridge for open integration. Meanwhile, direct flights to major domestic airports serving ten million passengers annually will be further increased, and international route networks will be optimized to further broaden external access channels, enabling residents to travel spontaneously. This "aerial bridge" will also steadily elevate the reach and influence of the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area to the world and propel the metropolitan area's integrated development to a higher level.

Unleashing the Benefits: Commuting Upgrades Convert Connectivity into Integration That Enhances People's Well-Being

Smooth transportation brings prosperity to cities, and efficient commuting enables comprehensive integration. This is the inexorable logic of metropolitan development and a vivid demonstration that "one-hour commuting is about more than mere connectivity—it is about integration".

As the "one-hour commuting circle" takes shape at an accelerating pace, the cross-city integration within the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area continues to intensify. Transport connectivity is dismantling urban barriers, transforming the convenience of connectivity into the concrete benefits of integration, and driving deep integration among industrial, living, and smart circles, ensuring that development benefits are tangible and accessible to every resident.

Today, the flow of factors between Changchun and surrounding cities such as Jilin, Siping, and Liaoyuan is becoming increasingly unimpeded. Industrial collaboration is tightening, and public services are becoming more convenient: the cross-city government services are available "within the circle", cutting down on legwork and making procedures hassle‑free, achieving governance integration; educational and medical resources are shared, allowing residents to access quality services close to home, achieving livelihood integration; industrial parks are developing in coordination, promoting deep integration of upstream and downstream industrial chains, achieving industrial integration; and cultural and tourism resources are jointly developed, enabling residents to share in cultural and travel experiences, achieving tourism integration. The sense of well-being associated with seamless cross-city living is expanding alongside the extension of the transport network, serving as the most vivid testament to metropolitan integration and the best evidence of symbiosis between connectivity and integration.

"Going forward, we will continue to refine the integrated multidimensional transportation network for rail, highway, and air transport with greater intensity, faster pace, and more concrete measures. Our goal is to enhance internal and external connectivity, effectively reduce commuting time, improve travel experience, and advance the 'one-hour commuting circle' ever deeper from connectivity toward integration", stated Meng Xin, First-Level Inspector of the Jilin Provincial Department of Transport. His remarks serve both as a summation of past efforts and as a commitment to future development.

Transportation empowerment is not merely about "connectivity", it is, above all, about "integration".

By continuously consolidating the transportation foundation and fostering deep coordination among industrial, living, and smart circles and by ensuring that the development of the "one-hour commuting circle" delivers not only convenient access but also deep integration, the Changchun Modern Metropolitan Area will truly become the core growth pole for Jilin's comprehensive revitalization. Moreover, it will write a new chapter of regional coordinated development, and allow the outcomes of transportation upgrades to benefit more people and nourish the growth of the entire region.

Source: Jilin Daily  Editor: Liu Jiadi