Assessing the Impacts of High Speed Rail Development in China’s Yangtze River Delta Megaregion

Xueming Chen

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/jtts.2013.32011                

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.

Keywords

High Speed Rail; China; Yangtze River Delta Megaregion; Impacts

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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