The spatial distribution and determinants of China’s high-speed train services

China is now a global leader in the construction of high-speed railways (HSRs). However, few studies have focused on the actual operational performance of China’s HSR system, which is revealed by high-speed train (HST) services. This paper investigates the spatial distribution of China’s HST services, and the influencing factors are analyzed by using multiple stepwise regression. The results indicate that the total HST services in China have sharply increased in a short period, but there are significant disparities in HST services available to different regions and cities. At the regional level, Central and East China and China’s major urban agglomerations have received more HST services, while the HST services in West China have achieved faster growth. At the city level, most cities in the southeastern coastal provinces and middle reaches of the Yangtze River have received more services, largely due to the highly developed HSR infrastructure network there. The results of the stepwise regression show that the dominant factors in HST service allocation in China vary greatly at different spatial levels and in different regions. At the national level, the urban socio-economic performance and nature of the HSR infrastructure has a significant impact on the distribution of HST services. Additionally, at the regional level, the primary determinants of HST service allocation vary across regions, which are closely associated with the disparity in socio-economic development and the HST extension stages in different regions.