Abstract
This paper assesses the impacts of high speed rail (HSR) development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Megaregion, China. After giving an introduction and conducting a literature review, the paper proposes a pole-axis-network system (PANS) model guiding the entire study. On the one hand, the HSR projects in the YRD Megaregion are expected to generate significant efficiency-related transportation and non-transportation benefits. As a result, the spillover effects from Shanghai and other major cities (poles) will greatly promote the urban and regional developments along the major HSR corridors (axes), and the entire megaregion will become more integrated economically, socially, and culturally. But, on the other hand, the HSR projects will also create serious social and geographic inequity issues, which need to be addressed as soon as possible in a proper way. This empirical study confirms the PANS model proposed.
Highlights
This paper assesses the impacts of high speed rail (HSR) development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Megaregion, China
China is building the world’s largest high speed rail (HSR) network, which is expected to generate significant though uneven impacts on its mobility, accessibility, socioeconomic development, and others, especially at megaregional levels
It should be pointed out that both poles and axes have hierarchical orders. This paper extends this concept into the pole-axisnetwork system (PANS) concept through an empirical study
Summary
China is building the world’s largest high speed rail (HSR) network, which is expected to generate significant though uneven impacts on its mobility, accessibility, socioeconomic development, and others, especially at megaregional levels. Of all Chinese megaregions, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Megaregion (1% of national land) occupies the most prominent position in terms of its economic strength (20% of national gross domestic products) and population size (6% of national population) This megaregion is expected to possess about a dozen of existing and proposed rail lines, including trunk passenger dedicated lines (PDLs), intercity HSR lines, and other conventional rail lines. HSR has its relative speed advantage over highway and aviation for the distance between 100 miles and 500 miles, which, to a large extent, matches a typical megaregion’s geographic extent in the world. Because of this reason, HSR network directly impacts the megaregion-wide development, and vice versa.
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