The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word PIPELINE
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
P
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P
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L
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "means of transportation" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case means of transportation = pipeline.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does PIPELINE mean?
PIPELINE noun- A conduit made of pipes used to convey water, gas or petroleum etc.
- A channel (either physical or logical) by which information is transmitted sequentially (that is, the first information in is the first information out).
- A system or process through which something is conducted.
- The inside of a wave that a surfer is riding, when the wave has started closing over it.
- To design (a microchip etc.) so that processing takes place in efficient stages, the output of each stage being fed as input to the next.
- To convey something by a system of pipes
- To lay a system of pipes through something