Objective With the vigorous development of ecommerce, the volume of express delivery business in China is increasing year by year. To reduce the average delivery cost of goods, enhance the non-fare revenue of urban rail transit, and optimize comprehensive social benefits, it is necessary to study the feasibility of utilizing urban rail transit for express logistics transportation, thereby making full use of its surplus capacity during off-peak hours.

Method  By collecting relevant domestic and international cases, three practical insights are derived through analogy and reference. At the macro level, a competitive situation analysis is conducted to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges for urban rail transit in undertaking express logistics transportation, providing an objective analysis of the business development prospects in future. At the meso level, a technical feasibility analysis is performed and discussed from six dimensions: the coupling of delivery routes, adaptability of loaded goods, feasibility of transportation process, operability of handling operations, feasibility of facility modifications, and transportation economics. At the micro level, four application scenarios are proposed for business implementation reference: malls and supermarkets delivery, express intermodal transport, instant delivery, and freight using luggage compartments.

Result & Conclusion Utilizing urban rail transit for express logistics transportation demonstrates promising development prospects. However, this business has disadvantages such as relatively low transport capacity and inadequate supporting facilities, and faces intense industry competition. Though it is technically feasible for above-mentioned express logistics transportation, challenges remain, including short train stop times, limited transport capacity, and the need for facility modifications. These factors may result in low economic viability for the business. In the future, exploring joint ventures and cooperation with express logistics enterprises should be explored to provide diversified operational ideas and richer application scenarios for urban rail transit business implementation.