Transport in the East Asian Federation

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Transportation in the East Asian Federation is provided by an advanced network of railways, highways, ferry routes, and air services that connect all five regions of the country. The national transportation network is overseen by the State Office for Transportation.

The country's road network consists of 1.3 million kilometers of paved roads. Traffic drives on the right side on East Asian roads. Roads are either paid for and operated by prefectural governments' revenues, or operated by private companies and paid for through tolls.

Several passenger rail operators compete in transportation markets nationwide. The largest of these, the state-owned Federation Rail, holds a 66% share of intercity passenger rail traffic, and owns and operates all of the nation's high-speed rail lines. There are fourteen high-speed rail lines, connecting all of the nation's major cities.

There are 283 civil airports in the East Asian Federation. Of these, the largest, Tokyo International Airport, is also Asia's busiest airport, and serves mainly domestic flights. The five busiest international gateways are Incheon International Airport (Seoul/Incheon area), Narita International Airport (Tokyo area), North Capital International Airport (Seogyeong area), Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (Taipei/Taoyuan area), and Kansai International Airport (Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto area).

Rail transportation

Two Shinkansen trains awaiting departure at Tokyo Station

Rail transport is an important part of the East Asian transport network. Most short- and medium-distance trips are by rail, especially in and around major cities, where highly developed rail networks and large amounts of road traffic make rapid transit feasible. The state-owned Federation Rail corporation, the largest intercity rail operator, covers much of the country. There are also rail services by private companies and public-private partnerships between prefectural governments and private companies. East Asia has the highest railway use per capita of any nation.

Beijing, Binhai, Busan, Chongjin, Daegu, Daejeon, Dalian, Fukuoka, Gwangju, Hamhung, Incheon, Kaohsiung, Kobe, Kyoto, Nagoya, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Seogyeong, Seoul, Shenyang, Taipei, Tianjin, Tokyo and Yokohama have subway systems.

Road transportation

Bus-Only lanes during rush hour on National Expressway 1

There are approximately 1,350,000 kilometers of paved roads in the East Asian Federation. Of these, 13,251 kilometers make up the planned National Expressway network, a series of multi-lane, fully divided and controlled-access tollways connecting major cities undergoing standardized upgrades. The first of these Expressways is NEX-1, connecting Beijing with Tokyo. A single network covers the Korean Peninsula, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku, with plans to build a bridge connecting Hokkaido within a decade. Taiwan, while operating under a similar series of highways, is separated from the main network. A highway of the same grade serves Okinawa Island. National Expressway tolls are collected by private operators, of which 15% goes to the federal government. The rest is retained by the operator for maintenance and revenue. Tolls are collected electronically, through an interchangeable ETC system, also usable in city congestion zones.

Intercity bus companies have become more utilized in recent times, as the extent of the national road system expands. Bus service is often provided when train and air service are not, making it a popular alternative. Incheon Airport is served by express bus service from cities across the Korean Peninsula, but work is underway to build a fixed rail link for national service from Sinuiju, Seogyeong, and Seoul to the airport.

Recent large-scale roadbuilding projects include the Japan-Korea Undersea Tunnel, the under construction Hokkaido-Karafuto Tunnel and Tsugaru Strait Bridge, and the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.

Air transportation

Kansai International Airport

The East Asian Federation has 355 civilian airports. The main international gateways are Incheon International Airport (Seoul/Incheon area), Narita International Airport (Tokyo area), North Capital International Airport (Seogyeong area), Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (Taipei/Taoyuan area), and Kansai International Airport (Osaka/Kobe/Kyoto area), Beijing Capital International Airport (Beijing area). Major domestic airports include Tokyo Haneda International Airport, busiest airport in Asia and fourth busiest airport in the world, Gimpo International Airport, Osaka International Airport, New Chitose Airport, and Fukuoka Airport.

The largest commercial airlines are those that serve international destinations as well as domestic ones. These include the regional flagship carriers and other large regional airlines. The regional flagship carriers are Air China, Air Koryo, China Airlines, East Asian Airlines, Korean Air, and Japan Airlines. Non-flagship critical airlines include All Nippon Airways, Asiana Air, China Southern Airways, and EVA Airways.

There are an estimated 228 heliports in the East Asian Federation, primarily on the Korean Peninsula.

Marine transportation

Water-based transport plays a crucial role in mass freight transport in the East Asian Federation. There are sixty "key" seaports nationwide, with access to ocean-going ships, including river-based ports that can handle large amounts of traffic. 15 of those ports have been designated "special important ports" and handle more than 40 million tons of freight each per annum. There are 2300 ships registered with the State Office for Transportation that have a Gross Register Tonnage equal to or greater than 1000 tons, most of these registered in the Northeast China and Japanese Islands regions.

Marine transport is also taking an increasingly important role in regional transport. The Seogyeong prefectural government is working with nearby prefecture on a dredging project to make the Taedong River more suitable for marine transport. A demonstration ferry service connecting Pyongyang Square, the Central Library, and New Seogyeong Station with residential areas in the suburbs has been widely successful, leading to various expansion proposals. Frequent ferry services operate between Jeju and Busan, Seoul and Incheon, and Ulleung and Mokpo. The Ryukyu Islands are connected to the mainland at Busan, Taipei, and various places on Kyushu and Honshu.