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This study discusses the potential economic and development impacts that high-speed rail (HSR) may bring to California. The research reviews the reported impacts of HSR implementation in various countries, particularly in Europe, and case studies of selected HSR station-cities in France, Spain, and Italy. The analysis suggests that HSR could bring economic development to the state and stimulate population growth but might eventually lead to gentrification in certainlocations. Not all station-cities experience the same impacts, and certain conditions may foster greater economic development. Station location and connectivity to downtown areas would be particularly important in influencing these impacts, while peripheral stations would be less able to attract land use development and relocation of activities. The availability of rail service to larger cities (and connections to other major markets) and the coordination with urban planning and policy are key to determining the development of areas around HSR stations. The study indicates that for HSR to bring about desired economic development, the planning and design of stations and services must be integrated with the vision and urban plans of each station-city.

Due to the popularization of high-speed rail (HSR), there have been increasing concerns of passengers about the thermal comfort of HSR air conditioning. The corrected predicted mean vote (CPMV) model considering the impact of solar radiation on indoor thermal comfort has been previously proposed and validated for accuracy in office buildings. To verify the accuracy of the CPMV model in evaluating the thermal comfort of passengers inside HSR carriages, the field study on HSR in the Yangtze River Delta region of China was conducted in winter and summer. The results indicate thermal sensation vote values obtained from passengers fit well with CPMV values. When the temperature is high in summer and low in winter, the CPMV model ignores people's ability to adapt and tolerate harsh environments. In addition, the thermal preference temperature of passengers in summer is 0.57°C higher than the neutral temperature, indicating that there is an overcooling situation in summer. The study recommends to lower the set temperature of summer air conditioning in HSR. This study contributes to the promotion of the CPMV model on HSR and provides technical support for the design of air-conditioning systems for HSR carriages from the perspective of thermal comfort of passengers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport sector is crucial in influencing anthropogenic pollution. By employing Chinese prefecture-level city data from 2003 to 2019 and a sample of 443124 observations of industrial firms from 2003 to 2013, this paper treats the opening of high-speed rail (HSR) as a quasi-natural experiment and uses a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method to investigate the impact of HSR on haze pollution. The findings reveal that (1) HSR has a significant negative effect on cities' PM 2.5 concentrations, and the result is held after a series of robustness checks; (2) the analysis based on Chinese industrial firm data also yields significant results in reducing smoke and dust emissions by HSR, providing micro-level understanding for the main conclusion; (3) at the firm level, heterogeneity derives from firm ownership, location, and industry; (4) the reduction in industrial firms' labor and capital distortion and resource misallocation play a crucial role in the HSR's impact on mitigating haze pollution; (5) at the city level, HSR reduces haze pollution by improving overall resource allocation across cities, and promoting the flow of capital to cities that are more developed and have higher returns. These results indicate that recognizing the causal relationship between HSR and haze pollution and the impact mechanism poses policy implications for inter-city transportation infrastructure development and pollution control. • We provide empirical evidence from both macro and micro perspectives that HSR can reduces haze pollution. • The heterogeneity effects at the firm level come from firm ownership, location, and industry. • Resource allocation effect is found to be an important channel for HSR on haze pollution. • The findings provide implications for HSR, market integration and haze pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions between high-speed rail (HSR) and air transportation systems constitute a complex, evolving integral component of our modern transportation landscape. Over recent decades, changes in travel patterns and growing environmental concerns, spurred by advancements in railway technology, have significantly influenced the dynamics of these two transportation modes. While previous reviews on this subject have provided seminal insights, there is a necessity for a novel synthesis of research findings in recent years, given that extant reviews have covered the evolving landscape until the year 2018 only. This review critically evaluates the latest literature to analyze five aspects regarding air/HSR interactions: Modal integration/modal competition, bi-directional impacts, emission aspects, robustness/resilience perspectives, and some other related work. In addition, we propose a set of ten challenging research questions, highlighting the need for concerted research efforts, considerations of more practical decision factors, and evidence-based policy making to foster a sustainable and resilient integration of air/HSR systems in the 21st century. • We review interactions between high-speed rail and air transportation. • Our baseline are four surveys in the extant literature. • Papers published since the year 2018 are focus of our investigation. • We conclude with a discussion of ten unique challenges for future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extensive high-speed rail (HSR) network in China has significantly enhanced regional population mobility, yet its impact on the well-being of migrant workers remains underexplored. Utilizing data from the China Migrant Dynamic Survey (CMDS) from 2014 to 2018, this study investigates the influence of HSR on wage premiums for migrant workers and identifies the factors driving these premiums using the non-parametric nearest neighbor matching method. The findings reveal that HSR confers a significant wage premium of 13.1% for migrant workers in cities with HSR infrastructure compared to cities without it. This wage premium effect is particularly pronounced in less developed western China and in cities with larger populations and a higher proportion of tertiary sector economy. The study finds a 10.54% increase in wage premiums for intra-province migrant workers due to HSR, while the effect remains negligible for inter-province migrant workers. Moreover, the wage premium effect is stronger for higher-skilled labor and for migrant workers aged 16 to 45. It is particularly significant for professionals, administrative staff, and workers in the service industry. The HSR wage premium effect is multifaceted, exhibiting both level and growth effects, with the latter intensifying over time after HSR introduction. Overall, the findings suggest that HSR deployment positively influences migrant worker wages by enhancing travel convenience, improving market access, fostering knowledge spillovers, and facilitating industry transfers. However, these impacts vary by location, skill level, and industry. • The study reveals a 13.1% wage premium for migrant workers in cities with HSR infrastructure. • HSR's wage premium effect is the strongest in western China, larger cities, and those with a higher tertiary sector economy. • Intra-province migrants gain a 10.54% wage premium from HSR; inter-province workers see minimal effects. • Higher-skilled labor and workers aged 16-45 benefit most, especially in professional and service roles. • HSR's impact on wages grows over time, driven by better travel, market access, knowledge spillovers, and industry shifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Independent directors are an important internal governance mechanism, and the characteristics of independent directors influence the strategic decisions of the company. With the emergence of research on the impact of geographical location on economic entities, geographical distance is gradually gaining attention in corporate governance. However, relatively few studies in emerging markets have analysed the effectiveness of independent directors' performances in terms of geographical location factors. We determine the location of independent directors by manually searching their biographies, annual reports, and news reports, calculate the geographical distance between the location of independent directors and listed companies, analyse the relationship between the geographical distance of independent directors and firm innovation, and test the moderating effect of high-speed rail (HSR) construction. The test results show that the geographical distance between independent directors and the companies they work for can inhibit corporate innovation and that the construction of HSR in the cities where listed companies are located can mitigate this inhibiting effect. We extend the study of geographical location characteristics influencing economic behaviour to the field of independent directors, enriching the study of factors influencing corporate innovation in emerging markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of the attitudes of the elderly on the acceptance of Thailand's high-speed rail technology according to the technology readiness index (TRI) and technology acceptance model (TAM) theories as guidelines for policies or strategies to enhance passengers' intentions to use high-speed rail. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 3200 elderly people aged over 60 years in the surveyed areas along high-speed rail routes in Thailand, before the use of statistical analysis and multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze variations in the participants' attitudes toward urban and rural areas. The results that were thus obtained from both groups showed their differing attitudes toward the acceptance of technology. The TAM theory considers the attitude toward high-speed rail use in urban areas to be important, while, in rural areas, attitudes and perceived usefulness are important. With respect to the ease of use of high-speed rail, the most important factors were attitudes toward use and perceived usefulness. For the TRI theory, innovativeness features as the most positive influence on the perceived ease of high-speed rail use in both groups. Optimism and innovativeness were positive influences, but discomfort and insecurity carried a negative influence with respect to the perceived ease of use and usefulness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed rail is a high-standard railway system, which allows trains to operate at high speed. The railway play a crucial role in connecting urban agglomerations, which represents the highest form of spatial organization in the mature stage of urban development, bringing together cities of various natures, types, and scales in specific regions. This paper explores the impacts of high-speed rail and its expansion on industrial concentration and macroeconomic conditions in the period of 2000 to 2019. We use a well-known transportation policy as a natural experiment, utilizing geographic distance data to study the effects of high-speed rail and its expansion on industrial concentration and macroeconomic conditions in urban agglomerations. The results show that high-speed rail increases industrial concentration but leads to a reduction in macroeconomic conditions. Unlike previous studies in this field, we use distance variables to analyze how the expansion of high-speed rail affects macroeconomic conditions and industrial concentration through location advantages. The impacts of high-speed rails vary across urban and non-urban agglomeration cities, resource-based and non-resource-based cities, large and small cities, and eastern, central, and western regions. Our results are robust to the shocks from the global financial crisis, time lags, different distance dummy variables, dependent variables, and endogeneity issues. This study regards the opening up of high-speed rail as both improving air quality and reducing carbon emissions through substituting for urban and aviation transport. Compared to traditional transport methods such as urban and air travel, the efficiency and environmental benefits of high-speed rail make it an important method for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, the expansion of high-speed rail could support both economic development and environmental concerns, and it is playing a crucial role in transportation selection for advancing low-carbon economic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Spanish passenger railway market saw the entrance of two competitors in 2022–2023: the full-service operator Iryo and the low-cost operator Ouigo. Using a unique dataset of Spanish ticket price collected throughout an entire year and the Diff-In-Diff method, this paper investigates the impact on incumbent's prices of newcomers' entrance on the less congested corridors Madrid - Alicante and Madrid - Malaga/Sevilla. The Spanish government's strategy seems to be successful: the decision to lead the liberalisation process and the choice of having up to three asymmetric competitors induced a significant decrease in price even on the less attractive corridors, stimulating the demand and addressing the problem of under-utilization of some high-speed infrastructure. The results show that prices decreased by 28%–30% after nine months of competition. The impact has been the same on both the analysed corridors, despite the competition environment has been different in terms of number of competitors, pricing strategy and market share of those. • Spain is the first country with three competitors in the high-speed railway market. • Competition in high-speed rail in Spain reduced prices by 28%–30% in nine months. • The impact on incumbent's first-class and second-class prices was the same. • Both low-cost and full-service competitors similarly affected incumbent pricing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amid the vigorous development of the high-speed rail (HSR) network, local governments in China generally consider the construction of HSR as a crucial task in their regional development strategies. Currently, most provincial capitals and prefecture-level cities in the eastern and central regions of China already have operational HSR services. This study aims to examine a key question: has the objective of local governments to promote urban development through the construction of HSR been effective? The research selects cities along the Beijing–Shanghai, Beijing–Guangzhou, and Harbin–Dalian HSR lines as the study subjects. Based on the principles of proximity and similarity, cities with operational HSR and those without are chosen as the experimental group and the control group, respectively. Following the double difference (difference-in-differences) approach, an advantage index is proposed to systematically evaluate the impact of HSR operation on urban development from three dimensions: population aggregation, economic development, and expansion of construction land. Furthermore, the evaluation results are systematically clustered to identify city types that exhibit different promotional effects in various dimensions. The research findings indicate the following: (1) The promotion effect of HSR on the development of small to medium-sized cities is more reflected in economic growth and construction land growth. (2) The promotion effect of HSR on the development of large cities is more reflected in the growth of the employment population. (3) For smaller or economically less-developed cities, HSR may be detrimental to the aggregation of resident and employment populations. (4) Cities with moderate size and good economic development have the opportunity to use HSR to promote population aggregation. On this basis, combined with the findings above, strategies to promote the coordinated development of high-speed rail construction and urban systems are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the high-speed rail debate (HSR) there has been lacking in-depth theoretical and evidential research on the role HSR has on tacit knowledge flows between industrial clusters or regions of economic productivity. The research that has begun to emerge has focused on knowledge indicators such as patents for social/tacit knowledge exchange, which this paper raises concerns over. This review aims to discover new links for HSR with cluster economics through social knowledge theory and aims to create a conceptual framework that will provide a new perspective for future research in the HSR debate concerning social knowledge exchange. Potential implications are presented for future transport policy decision-making, based on the relationship HSR may have with inter-regional tacit knowledge flows and accessibility benefits in regional balancing. Future research considerations are pointed out that argue to measure the flow of knowledge from HSR, research needs to go in-depth to the social aspect of interactions and relationship buildings, as quantitative data will struggle to capture tacit knowledge flow itself, due to the tacit nature of such information. The presented framework highlights the tacit nature of interactions facilitated by HSR connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newly proposed high‐speed rail in Czech Republic creates a set of new challenges for engineers in design overall. In this case, the most significant challenge was to design a viaduct over several obstacles due to the crossing of Special Area of Conservation (SAC), part of Natura 2000. This aims to limit impacts in short‐term, during construction and more importantly in the long term. Construction of the viaduct will mitigate an impact to the natural surrounding area, whilst allowing immigration of its natural habitats. Nevertheless, the viaduct design and operational speeds will reach 320 km/h with possible raising to 350 km/h limit, with minimal impact within the area. Initial length of the viaduct was over 1 300 m and the main requirement given by an infrastructure manager was to design a viaduct without railway expansion joints. Due to such a long distance, the viaduct had to be separated into several dilatation segments in order to avoid the use of rail expansion joint. The most susceptible parts of SAC were in proximity of the river Šatava and surrounding wetlands. This area created an obstacle, which had to be crossed by a long span avoiding the implementation of bridge piers. Poor geological conditions close to the watercourse had to be taken into consideration for design of pier foundation, therefore the span had to be shortened to a compromised length. The final design of the viaduct consists of 16 segments, of which 14 are continuous segments and 4 are single spans. Overall, there are 29 spans over the length of the viaduct. Construction method of incremental launching had been chosen to reduce the short‐term impact in the SAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-Speed Rail (HSR) systems represent a significant advancement in modern transportation. They offer rapid, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional rail, air travel and road transportation. Even if highspeed trains appeared approximately in the middle of the previous century, several aspects concerning safety remain. This study aims to comprehensively review the scientific literature related to the safety issues of high-speed railways. A bibliometric analysis was carried out utilizing 2358 publications from the last two decades (2004-2023) to understand better the existing research on HSR and safety. Future trends and thematic areas of research are identified and analyzed. Chinese researchers and universities have led the total number of current publications related to the context of HSR safety. While most of the publications come from Chinese institutions, a significant international collaboration can be identified. The main areas of research on HSR and safety can be classified into four main clusters based on the keywords co-occurrence analysis and are related to risk management, structural dynamics and resilience in railway systems, geotechnical engineering and tunnelling and maintenance technologies. Researchers and policymakers can use the results of this study to better understand the dynamics of scientific research in the field of highspeed railways and safety and make decisions about future directions and funding priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-Speed Rail (HSR) systems represent a significant advancement in modern transportation. They offer rapid, efficient, and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional rail, air travel and road transportation. Even if high-speed trains appeared approximately in the middle of the previous century, several aspects concerning safety remain. This study aims to comprehensively review the scientific literature related to the safety issues of high-speed railways. A bibliometric analysis was carried out utilizing 2358 publications from the last two decades (2004–2023) to understand better the existing research on HSR and safety. Future trends and thematic areas of research are identified and analyzed. Chinese researchers and universities have led the total number of current publications related to the context of HSR safety. While most of the publications come from Chinese institutions, a significant international collaboration can be identified. The main areas of research on HSR and safety can be classified into four main clusters based on the keywords co-occurrence analysis and are related to risk management, structural dynamics and resilience in railway systems, geotechnical engineering and tunnelling and maintenance technologies. Researchers and policymakers can use the results of this study to better understand the dynamics of scientific research in the field of high-speed railways and safety and make decisions about future directions and funding priorities.

Abstract High-speed rail (HSR) may influence economic activities that rely heavily on innovation by facilitating skilled labour, face-to-face interactions, and knowledge spillovers. This study explores how HSR development affects the spatial distribution of technology-intensive manufacturing (TIM) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), China. Using a panel dataset including 24 cities for the period 2007–2016 and employing the output of communications equipment, computers, and other electronic equipment (CCOE) as a proxy for TIM’s economic productivity at the city level, we apply the staggered difference-in-differences (DID) and spatial Durbin model (SDM) to measure the impacts of HSR’s initial opening and connectivity on CCOE development and capture the spatial spillover effects of HSR connectivity. Our findings indicate that the initial opening of HSR and HSR connectivity are negatively associated with CCOE productivity in both DID and SDM. Additionally, the reduction of CCOE is more pronounced in cities with larger populations and higher levels of economy. Moreover, HSR has a more significant effect on CCOE than other manufacturing sectors. However, the spillover effects remain insignificant, indicating HSR’s limited impact on CCOE development in adjacent cities within the YRD.

Purpose – In an increasingly interconnected world, transportation infrastructure has emerged as a critical determinant of economic growth and global competitiveness. High-speed rail (HSR), characterized by its exceptional speed and efficiency, has garnered widespread attention as a transformative mode of transportation that transcends borders and fosters economic development. The Kuala Lumpur – Singapore (KL-SG) HSR project stands as a prominent exemplar of this paradigm, symbolizing the potential of HSR to serve as a catalyst for national economic advancement. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is prepared to provide an insight into the benefits and advantages of HSR based on proven case studies and references from global HSRs, including China, Spain, France and Japan. Findings – The findings that have been obtained focus on enhanced connectivity and accessibility, attracting foreign direct investment, revitalizing regional economies, urban development and city regeneration, boosting tourism and cultural exchange, human capital development, regional integration and environmental and sustainability benefits. Originality/value – The KL-SG HSR, linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, epitomizes the potential for HSR to be a transformative agent in the realm of economic development. This project encapsulates the aspirations of two dynamic Southeast Asian economies, united in their pursuit of sustainable growth, enhanced connectivity and global competitiveness. By scrutinizing the KL-SG High-Speed Rail through the lens of economic benchmarking, a deeper understanding emerges of how such projects can drive progress in areas such as cross-border trade, tourism, urban development and technological innovation.

A semi-floating cable-stayed bridge can swing longitudinally to absorb seismic energy in an earthquake for the purpose of reducing structural response. However, the large transverse (lateral) seismic response of such large-span cable-stayed bridges must be controlled to avoid severe bridge damage and ensure train safety. This study investigates the dynamic response and associated damping mechanism of a coupled high-speed rail (HSR) vehicle and cable-stayed bridge system subjected to various ground motions. A comprehensive vehicle–track–bridge interaction system is first established. Then, the dynamics of a semi-floating cable-stayed bridge-HSR vehicle system equipped with magnetorheological bearings (MRBs) and fluid viscous dampers (FVDs) is examined with various inputs of near-fault (NF) pulse-type, NF non-pulse-type, and far-field (FF) ground motions. To effectively mitigate the bridge internal force response and enhance train running safety, the transverse and longitudinal FVDs need to be concurrently utilized along with MRBs. This research presents a novel mitigation approach for simultaneously reducing the transverse vibrations of cable-stayed bridge and the derailment risk of running train. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Railway accidents caused by gales are indeed influenced by multiple factors, making them a complex process. However, current research and monitoring systems often focus solely on wind speed, overlooking the combined effects of other factors. This paper proposes a data-driven assessment strategy specifically designed for high-speed railways. The disaster-inducing factor, disaster-pregnant environment, disaster-bearing body, and disaster prevention/mitigation capabilities are all taken into consideration. Moreover, it explores the interrelationships between these factors. To validate the proposed mechanism, the spatial-temporal distribution of gale-induced risks along China's high-speed railways is studied in this paper. By analyzing and interpreting the data, the researchers are able to identify areas and time periods that are particularly prone to gale-induced accidents. These findings are crucial for the development of effective strategies for disaster prevention and mitigation in the context of high-speed railways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid expansion of high-speed rail (HSR), the HSR station areas are often the key development areas of the cities and the gateways to display the cities' image. However, the problem of lack of vitality in these areas has emerged. Limited studies have quantified the vitality of HSR station areas and examined the factors influencing it. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of various factors on the vitality of HSR station areas. To accomplish this objective, we propose a method for measuring the vitality of HSR station areas using Baidu's real-time user density data. We demonstrate the method through the case study of 91 HSR station areas in the Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration in China. We construct structural equation models using a Bayesian approach to test the effects of intercity accessibility, intracity accessibility, surrounding area density, and local socio-economic development on the vitality of HSR station areas. The results show that (1) Intracity accessibility, surrounding area density, and local socioeconomic development have significant positive effects on the vitality density of HSR station areas. Intercity accessibility has a negative effect on the vitality density of HSR station areas. (2) Surrounding area density positively influences the stability of weekday and weekend vitality in HSR station areas. Local socio-economic development negatively impacts the stability of weekend vitality in HSR station areas. (3) High-vitality HSR station areas are mostly located in Chengdu and Chongqing, both megacities. Station areas with low vitality are primarily located in small cities. This study's findings can be used to guide the planning and decision-making of HSR station areas aimed at enhancing their vitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes the opening of high-speed rail as a quasi-natural experiment and employs panel data from 281 Chinese cities at or above the prefectural level from 2003 to 2019 to empirically examine the impact of high-speed rail development on environmental pollution. The results indicate that the opening of high-speed rail significantly reduces environmental pollution, with varying degrees of effects on three types of industrial pollutants. The empirical findings pass the parallel trends test and dynamic effect test, revealing a lag of one year for the impact of high-speed rail on environmental pollution and an increasing effect on reducing industrial pollutant emissions over time. In this study, the core explanatory variable is replaced by the frequency of high-speed rail, and the baseline regression results demonstrate that an increase in high-speed rail frequency can decrease industrial pollutant emissions, with varying degrees of impact on different pollutants, ensuring the robustness of the results. Mechanism testing shows that the opening of high-speed rail can reduce environmental pollution through industrial structural adjustment and technological progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article examines Thailand's participation in China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during General Prayut Chan-o-cha's government between 2014 and 2023. The study underscores the aftermath of the 2014 coup, which saw a surge in the Sino-Thai relationship. Notably, the Prayut government hastily announced a commitment with Beijing for the ambitious 608-kilometer Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed rail project, a key component of the BRI rail network connecting Kunming through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. Substantial progress was anticipated for the high-speed rail project once the first phase of construction connecting Bangkok to Nong Khai gained approval through an executive decree in 2017. However, as of May 2023, only 3.5 kilometres of the proposed 608-kilometer rail track had been completed, raising questions about the government's commitment. Meanwhile, BRI-related projects have expanded, including the development of high-speed rail connections between Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, and U-Tapao airports, as well as investments in the Eastern Economic Corridor. The study delves into the complexities of the Prayut government's foreign policy decisions and their implementation. It examines how international and domestic factors influenced the formulation and subsequent execution of the BRI projects in Thailand. This research offers valuable insights into the intricate interplay between international negotiations and domestic politics, shedding light on the dynamics of the Sino-Thai BRI partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed rail (HSR) services are experiencing rapid global expansion, posing competition not only in the traditional passenger sector but also challenging air cargo with their attributes of speed and punctuality. In this study, we establish a straightforward model for air-HSR competition in both passenger and cargo markets, taking into account the vertical structure of transportation supply chain. We explore various market equilibria based on the combination of three factors: 1) HSR's provision of cargo services, 2) the integration or separation of HSR's ownership and operation, and 3) uniform or differentiated airport administrative fees for passenger and cargo airlines. The analytical results of our model indicate that the entry of HSR into the cargo market consistently enhances social welfare and may even improve the profit of cargo airlines. However, if airports adopt uniform pricing or there is vertical separation in HSR sector, this could potentially weaken the positive impact on welfare enhancement. These findings have important implications for transportation policy, highlighting how strategic management of infrastructure can significantly influence the effectiveness and societal benefits of HSR's expansion into cargo services. • We develop a model to explore air-HSR competition in passenger and cargo sectors, focusing on their vertical structure. • We evaluate: 1) HSR cargo service, 2) split HSR ownership/operation, 3) airport's distinct fees for passenger/cargo airlines. • Introducing HSR to the cargo market always improves social welfare, without necessarily diminishing cargo airline profits. • A uniform pricing strategy at the airport could potentially harm the profits of most involved entities. • HSR's vertical separation decreases traffic and profits, worsening social welfare, especially in larger markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study addresses the escalating risk of high-speed railway (HSR) infrastructure in China, amplified by climate warming, increased rainfall, frequent extreme weather, and geohazard events. Leveraging a georeferenced dataset of recent HSR defects obtained through an extensive literature review, we employ machine learning techniques for a quantitative multi-defect risk assessment. Climatic, geomorphological, geohydrological, and anthropogenic variables influencing HSR subgrade safety are identified and ranked. Climatic factors significantly impact frost damage and mud pumping, while geomorphological variables exhibit greater influence on settlement and uplift deformation defects. Notably, frost damage is prevalent in the northeast and northwest, mud pumping along the southeast coast, and settlement and uplift deformation in the northwest and central areas. The generated comprehensive risk map underscores high-risk zones, particularly the Menyuan Hui Autonomous and Minle County sections of the Lanzhou-Urumqi HSR, emphasizing the need for focused attention and preventive actions to mitigate potential losses and ensure operational continuity.

This in-depth study assesses the fatigue life of thermite-welded 60E1 rails by combining fatigue experimental tests with field measurement data. Material characterization, conducted using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), aimed to understand the fatigue behavior of these materials. The research was particularly focused on high-speed rail lines in South Korea, targeting areas with influence of track condition to collect strain data. By combining dynamic modulus calculations from high-speed tensile tests with the rain flow counting method for determining wheel loads, and employing the Linear Cumulative Damage method for estimating rail fatigue life, this study provides novel insights into the maintenance and durability of thermite welded rails. The integration of detailed laboratory experiments with field stress data offers a significant contribution to the predictive maintenance and lifecycle management of high-speed railway infrastructure.

This study examines the impact of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) rail project on Thailand’s logistics and supply chain operations using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Pearson’s correlation analysis reveals a negative correlation of −0.3354 for economic factors and a positive correlation of 0.3179 for logistic performance, indicating a moderate to strong negative correlation with the EEC line’s progress. Survey results show that 62.30% of respondents live in urban areas of Chonburi or Rayong. Transportation preferences indicate that 72.13% use a single mode, mainly private cars, with public transport rarely used (1.64% daily) and typical travel times of 30 minutes to an hour for 60.66%. Awareness of the HSR project is low, with over 57% unfamiliar, but 54.10% strongly agree on its importance for regional economic growth. Feasibility studies show 54.10% find it highly feasible to use HSR, expecting benefits in job creation, tourism, and business opportunities. Environmental and social concerns suggest affordable pricing, targeted job creation, and support for vulnerable groups to ensure social equity. Recommendations include improving transport integration, fostering economic and social equity, and prioritising environmental sustainability to support Thailand’s long-term development goals.

We investigate the impact of information search costs on firms' access to trade credit used as a major source of interfirm financing. Using the openings of high-speed rails (HSR) in China as exogenous shocks, we find that firms located in cities with HSR connections receive more trade credit from their suppliers. Further analyses show that the HSR effect on trade credit concentrates among customers with poor information transparency and that HSR openings improve the customers' information environment, suggesting that a decline in information search costs promotes supplier financing. Our finding reveals a positive externality of HSR construction on interfirm financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: High‐speed rail is not well utilized in the United States. This study examines public interest in high‐speed rail and the role the apparent urban–rural political divide may play in its establishment. Methods: Data from a sample of 1648 U.S. residents and 515 Texas residents surveyed in Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 were analyzed to determine their likelihood of choosing high‐speed rail if it was available. Results: Results found that 35 percent of national respondents and 52 percent of Texas respondents indicated they are likely to choose high‐speed rail. Characteristics such as age, education, gender, and political party affiliation had a statistically significant relationship with a respondent's likelihood of choosing high‐speed rail. Conclusion: This analysis indicates an interest in high‐speed rail in both samples. Many of the characteristics of those likely to choose high‐speed rail are consistent with typical early adopters of innovation. Democrats seem more likely to consider high‐speed rail, however identifying as either a Republican or a Democrat resulted in a positive, statistically significant relationship with an interest in high‐speed rail in the Texas sample. While this discussion does appear to have a partisan divide, other characteristics seem to be a strong predictor of interest in high‐speed rail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-speed rail (HSR) can enhance the inter-regional flow of labor factors, which is conducive to promoting knowledge exchange and the formation of innovation. Using prefecture-level data and the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS), and adopting a difference-in-differences model, we explore the effect of HSR connection on urban innovation as well as its mechanisms. The results indicate that compared with non-HSR cities, the innovation in connected cities significantly improves after HSR connection. The results remain robust after using an instrumental variable to deal with the possible endogeneity problem caused by the non-random placement of the HSR routes. Further investigations on the mechanisms show that one reason for the innovation improvement in HSR cities is the flow of talents from non-HSR cities to connected ones. The other reason for this increase is that HSR reinforces the interaction of talents among cities along the HSR routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the impact of transport infrastructure on regional disparity has been widely examined, its effect on intra-regional inequality has received less attention. Based on panel data at China's prefecture-city level during 2007–2018, we adopt the Difference-in-Differences model to investigate whether high-speed rail affects one type of intra-regional inequality, the urban-rural income gap. The results show that high-speed rail operation has widened the urban-rural income gap by boosting the agglomeration of population, financial capital, and economic activities in urban areas adjacent to high-speed rail stations. Furthermore, the effect varies across cities. The impact of high-speed rail on the urban-rural income gap is more evident in small and less developed cities due to the polarization effect. In contrast, this is not observed in large and developed cities. One possible reason is that, in the latter, the diffusion effect is much stronger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian governments continue to search for a model capable of planning future urban settlements at an extended spatial scale (the mega-metropolitan region) to accommodate high population growth more sustainably. Attempts at decentralisation over the past half century have failed, as state capital cities continue to sprawl in an unsustainable manner and increase their primacy at the expense of regional cities. This paper examines how two technologies, broadband and fast rail—both infrastructures capable of re-shaping space–time relationships—could underpin a transition of Australia's largest capital cities into megacity regions by functionally integrating regional cities into their core metropolitan agglomerations. With the Melbourne megacity region as a spatial framework, changes in population and economic development are examined for Melbourne and several regional cities in Victoria following the introduction of regional fast rail (RFR) and broadband. The impact of high-speed rail (HSR) for intercity corridors in southeast England is analysed as a possible analogue for future application in Victoria. The results revealed that RFR primarily served to extend capital city suburban development. Only HSR had the capacity to 'punch through' and boost growth for 'basic' new economy industries in 'on-line' urban centres in corridors linked to London. High-speed broadband proved most attractive to Melbourne's agglomeration of high-skilled information workers. Lower speed broadband services were more uniformly taken up across all centres. This discussion speculates on the impacts of these and other green economy and digitalisation drivers on prospects for a future megacity region transition in Victoria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing uncertainty and ambiguity in the external business environment, the risks and challenges faced by enterprises also increase accordingly; resilience has become a necessary characteristic for the evolution and upgrading of enterprise innovation systems, and improving enterprise innovation resilience becomes the key for enterprises to establish sustainable competitive advantages and achieve sustainable development. Based on the panel data of Chinese listed companies and cities, we employ the common factor method to measure enterprise innovation resilience and explore the impact of transportation infrastructure construction on enterprise innovation resilience. The results reveal that, firstly, enterprise innovation resilience shows an overall upward trend, but there is a certain degree of temporal–spatial and industrial disparity. Secondly, transportation infrastructure construction, represented by HSR opening, can significantly improve enterprise innovation resilience. However, this effect performs the following heterogeneity: (1) Regionally, the promotion effect is more obvious in eastern regions, central cities, and non-central cities within 107 km and 764 km away from the central city. (2) For enterprises, compared to state-owned enterprises and non-high-tech industries, transportation infrastructure construction has a greater effect in non-state-owned enterprises and high-tech industries. (3) The higher the degree of centrality and closeness centrality, the more obvious the promotion effect of transportation infrastructure construction. Finally, mechanism tests show that enterprise resource acquisition and resource allocation abilities are important channels for transportation infrastructure construction, to enhance enterprise innovation resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the escalating risk of high-speed railway (HSR) infrastructure in China, amplified by climate warming, increased rainfall, frequent extreme weather, and geohazard events. Leveraging a georeferenced dataset of recent HSR defects obtained through an extensive literature review, we employ machine learning techniques for a quantitative multi-defect risk assessment. Climatic, geomorphological, geohydrological, and anthropogenic variables influencing HSR subgrade safety are identified and ranked. Climatic factors significantly impact frost damage and mud pumping, while geomorphological variables exhibit greater influence on settlement and uplift deformation defects. Notably, frost damage is prevalent in the northeast and northwest, mud pumping along the southeast coast, and settlement and uplift deformation in the northwest and central areas. The generated comprehensive risk map underscores high-risk zones, particularly the Menyuan Hui Autonomous and Minle County sections of the Lanzhou-Urumqi HSR, emphasizing the need for focused attention and preventive actions to mitigate potential losses and ensure operational continuity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opening of high‐speed rail (HSR), as an exogenous shock, has had a profound and complex effect on social life. This study analyzes the effect of the opening of HSR on social trust. Results show that the opening of HSR promotes social trust. Mechanism analysis showed that although the opening of HSR accelerated population mobility and decreased trust in strangers, economic growth and improvement of local social issues mitigated the negative effects of its opening. In addition, our results also show that individuals turn to trust in their parents, neighbors, and doctors. Considering the potential endogeneity problem, instrumental variable and difference‐in‐differences estimators consistently indicated the promoting effect of the HSR opening on trust. Heterogeneity analysis showed that the opening of HSR had a greater effect on female, urban residents, younger groups, and married people. Last, cities with larger populations and tourist cities were more vulnerable to shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhanced transportation infrastructure improves the frequency of travel and facilitates face‐to‐face communication. Will the resulting reduction in travel cost mitigate the geographical concentration of knowledge spillovers? Our empirical strategy exploits China's mass expansion of its intercity high‐speed railway network as a natural experiment. Using patent citations as the proxy for knowledge spillovers, we find inventors increasingly rely on more distant knowledge after rail connection and newly connect cities' innovation performance improves substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The railway Traction Power Supply System (TPSS) encounters a common challenge related to high-frequency harmonic resonance, especially when employing AC-DC-AC traction drive systems in high-speed trains. This resonance issue arises when the harmonic elements introduced by the traction AC-DC converter on the grid side of trains align with the innate resonance frequency of the TPSS. The novelty the proposed work focuses on the challenges associated with resonance elevation and high-frequency harmonics in high-speed trains, while simultaneously enhancing energy quality. This is achieved by integrating a pulse-width-modulated converter on the grid side with a single-phase configuration and incorporating an LCL filter. Methodology. In order to optimize the system’s efficiency, a robust control system is employed, taking advantage of the capabilities of a fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The choice of the FLC is justified by its straightforward design and reliability, emphasizing the dedication to precise control, as fuzzy logic excels in handling complex, nonlinear systems. Through the use of linguistic variables and heuristic reasoning, the FLC adjusts to dynamic changes in the system, demonstrating its efficacy in enhancing both transient and steady-state responses. Practical value. A grid-side LCL filter-based converter was meticulously designed and rigorously simulated using the MATLAB/Simulink platform. The inclusion of an advanced FLC in the system introduced a novel approach to control strategies, surpassing the traditional PI controller. Through a comprehensive comparative analysis, the simulation results showcased the remarkable efficacy of the proposed solution in an effectively mitigating high-frequency resonance within the TPSS. This outcome underscores the potential of FLC as a sophisticated control mechanism for enhancing the performance systems in railway applications, showcasing its superiority over conventional control methods. The study contributes in shedding light on innovative approaches for optimizing the control and efficiency of grid-side LCL filter-based converters in high-speed train systems. References 33, table 2, figures 16. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China's transportation infrastructure has undergone significant changes. High-speed rail, as a new and favored mode of transportation, offers travelers convenience, efficiency, and punctuality, replacing many high-pollution transportation methods. Based on the characteristics of high-speed rail, this paper selects data from 30 provinces spanning from 1999 to 2019. It utilizes the double-difference method to evaluate the impact of high-speed rail opening on economic sustainability. It has been found that the introduction of high-speed rail contributes to economic sustainability during the examination period. The mechanism test also reveals that the opening of high-speed rail promotes green and sustainable development through the industrial agglomeration effect. In addition, the opening of high-speed rail (HSR) has a significant time lag effect and a spatial spillover effect on green sustainable development. The conclusion complements the theoretical framework regarding the impact of high-speed rail on the environment and regional economic sustainability. It also provides guidance for the efficient utilization of high-speed rail, which holds both theoretical and practical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economic disparity between southern and northern China has widened in the past decade. This article explores the roles of the north-south stretched backbone high-speed rails (HSRs) in the widened north-south economic gap in China. By constructing panel data of 283 cities between 2005 and 2016 and estimating the difference in GDP and per-capita GDP of northern and southern cities before and after the first north-south stretched HSR, we show that the north-south economic gap widened by about 8% as the opening of the Beijing-Shanghai HSR, the first north-south stretched HSR. Further channel analysis reveals that the north-south gaps in population, fixed asset investment, public expenditure, and the relative size of secondary industry to tertiary industry also widened. These results suggest that fast transportation improvement caused by long-distance backbone HSRs can contribute to accelerating the large-scale regional disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The link between the digital economy and prosperity is well established. However, the mechanism underlying the relationship between the digital economy and common prosperity is yet to be investigated. Study rationale and purpose: The main purpose of this study is to address this mechanism by examining the extent to which the digital economy has optimized regional investments in protecting the environment, particularly the resilience of environmental investment, thus influencing common prosperity. We draw upon insights from the fault tolerance and social inclusion theories to develop a model that illuminates how the digital economy enhances common prosperity through the resilience of environmental investment. Methods: We used econometric, gray predictive modeling methods for data analysis. We propose environmental investment resilience, including flexibility and stability, as a mediating mechanism through which the digital economy can improve common prosperity. This study selected Chinese cities in 2010–2021 as a sample for the experiment and employed a difference-in-differences model to examine whether the digital economy enhances regional common prosperity. Principal findings: The results show that the digital economy improves common prosperity through the resilience of environmental investment. Specifically, the digital economy enhances the flexibility and stability that are two indicators of resilience in environmental investments, which in turn enhances the level of common prosperity. Moreover, the relationship between environmental investment resilience and common prosperity is strengthened by inaugurating a high-speed rail. In addition, this relationship is weakened in an aging population. Finally, we focused on environmental investment efficiency using a gray prediction model. The results show that environmental investment efficiency generally shows an upward trend in fluctuation, which proves the robustness of our results.

This dataset presents a detailed description of the data and information used in the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the Basque Y HSR line, which is a high-performance line for mixed traffic still under construction in 2023 (190 km). The LCI data presented in this paper support the original research carried out on whether the construction of the Basque Y HSR line infrastructure is justified in terms of reducing environmental impacts and energy consumption [1].Life-cycle inventory (LCI) data related to the construction and maintenance phases of the infrastructure was collected using Google Earth tool following the information from stakeholder AHT gelditu [2], including the length of each item (bridges, tunnels, earthworks, railway tracks); and complemented with data obtained from the LCA carried out by Tuchschmid et al. [3]. LCI data associated with the operation phase of the infrastructure was built on passenger data for the years 2020, 2030, 2040 and 2049 available in ADIF [4], and freight data for the period of 2023–2050 available in the report by ADIF and the Basque Government [5]. Environmental impacts for transport modes were obtained from the ecoinvent v3.7 database [6,7] and processed with openLCA software [8]. Life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) results gathered in the dataset include Global Warming (GWP100a), Cumulative Energy Demand and total emissions for PM10, SO2, NOX and NMVOC.Access to the explanation of these data allows any reader to reproduce the calculations of the main project and may be used as a baseline for future studies on transport economics too.