High Speed Rail and Regional Competitiveness

Abstract

The presence of High Speed Rail (HSR) systems influences market shares of road and air transport, and the development of cities and regions they serve. Changes in accessibility have led researchers to investigate the effects on the economic and spatial derived variables. Contention exists when managing the trade off between efficiency and access points, which are usually in the range of hundreds of kilometres apart. In short, it is argued that intermediate cities, bypassed by HSR services, suffer a decline in their accessibility and developmental opportunities. This chapter will analyse possible impacts of HSR infrastructure by considering small and medium agglomerations in the vicinity of HSR corridors which are not always served by HSR stations. The benefits of accessibility and distribution will be quantified and investigated in a model that accounts for locations where an HSR station cannot be positioned and different rail transit services offered, including (i) cadenced, (ii) express, (iii) frequent or (iv) non-stopping services. This theoretical approach linking infrastructure, accessibility, distributive patterns, services, and competitiveness is applied to a case study in the North-Eastern Italian regions. Results indicate that benefits derive from well informed decisions on HSR station positioning and the appropriate blend of complementary services in the whole region to interface an HSR infrastructure. The results have significance for all countries in Europe and worldwide, not only for investing in an HSR infrastructure, but mostly in terms of building territorial cohesion, while seeking international recognition for developing successful new technology and systems.