Objective In response to the practical issues that Jiaxing's role as a transportation hub is not prominent and that there remains a gap between its current status and its positioning as a central city, Jiaxing's approach to integrated rail transit development within metropolitan areas is summarized and the institutional mechanisms and policy requirements of its multi-level rail transit network are systematically analyzed. The aim is to provide theoretical support for promoting Jiaxing's accelerated integration with Shanghai and connection with Hangzhou, and for its deeper integration into the national Yangtze River Delta integration strategy.

Method Based on the current status and planning of rail transit integration between Jiaxing and adjacent metropolitan areas, the effectiveness of integration is analyzed in depth and the main planning elements are distilled. Combined with experience from typical case studies, the analysis is structured from two dimensions: development recommendations and safeguard measures, and integrated with existing theories and practices to provide empirical evidence for the construction of Jiaxing's rail transit system.

Result & Conclusion  Jiaxing should fully leverage its locational and resource advantages to strengthen its function as a transportation hub, promoting both external interoperability and coordinated development within the city. It is recommended to advance coordination in terms of rail network layout, interoperability modes, operation-management mechanisms, and planning coordination systems, while strengthening land use, funding, and other factors. Through these measures, an efficient, diversified, and integrated rail transit system can be established to accelerate the enhancement of the region's transportation hub capacity.