IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v175y2026ics0967070x2500410x.html

Assessing “time-space compression” and accessibility of transnational railway operation scenarios in China's periphery

Author

Listed:
  • Cui, Jingwen
  • Fan, Liwen
  • Yin, Hang
  • Yan, Jianzhong

Abstract

Transnational railways play a crucial role in promoting regional economic development and enhancing international exchanges and cooperation. However, the impacts of different transnational railway operation scenarios on international transportation patterns remain insufficiently explored. Using two accessibility indicators—average travel time (ATT) and potential accessibility (PA)—and combining “time-space map” with spatial analysis methods, this study simulates changes in accessibility patterns across China and neighboring countries under scenarios of gradually operational transnational railways. The results indicate that with the progressive opening of planned railways, accessibility gradually improves in China's periphery, although different indicators and regions show different patterns. In addition, the study area demonstrates notable time-space compression effects, forming three distinct clusters: Southeast Asian countries, China-Nepal-India, and Uzbekistan-Kyrgyzstan-China-Pakistan. These findings provide valuable insights for decision-makers involved in transnational railway construction, supporting regional integration and development goals.

Suggested Citation

  • Cui, Jingwen & Fan, Liwen & Yin, Hang & Yan, Jianzhong, 2026. "Assessing “time-space compression” and accessibility of transnational railway operation scenarios in China's periphery," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:175:y:2026:i:c:s0967070x2500410x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103867
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X2500410X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103867?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gao, Deng & Li, Shicheng, 2022. "Spatiotemporal impact of railway network in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau on accessibility and economic linkages during 1984–2030," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    2. Zou, Youfeng & Song, Mingwei & Zhang, Wenzhi & Wang, Zijian, 2023. "The impact of high-speed rail construction on the development of resource-based cities: A temporal and spatial perspective," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    3. Luo, Huanhuan & Zhao, Shengchuan, 2021. "Impacts of high-speed rail on the inequality of intercity accessibility: A case study of Liaoning Province, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Despina Gavresi & Anastasia Litina & George Tsiachtsiras, 2022. "Railways and Roadways to Trust," Discussion Paper Series 2022_08, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Sep 2022.
    5. Wang, Lvhua & Liu, Yongxue & Sun, Chao & Liu, Yahui, 2016. "Accessibility impact of the present and future high-speed rail network: A case study of Jiangsu Province, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 161-172.
    6. Levinson, David M., 2012. "Accessibility impacts of high-speed rail," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 288-291.
    7. Birte Nienaber & Christian Wille, 2020. "Cross-border cooperation in Europe: a relational perspective," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 1-7, January.
    8. Jiao, Jingjuan & Wang, Jiaoe & Zhang, Fangni & Jin, Fengjun & Liu, Wei, 2020. "Roles of accessibility, connectivity and spatial interdependence in realizing the economic impact of high-speed rail: Evidence from China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1-15.
    9. Chou, Jui-Sheng & Chien, Ya-Ling & Nguyen, Ngoc-Mai & Truong, Dinh-Nhat, 2018. "Pricing policy of floating ticket fare for riding high speed rail based on time-space compression," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 179-192.
    10. Álvarez-SanJaime, Óscar & Cantos-Sanchez, Pedro & Moner-Colonques, Rafael & Sempere-Monerris, Jose J., 2016. "Rail access charges and internal competition in high speed trains," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 184-195.
    11. Gerard H. M. Evers & Jan Oosterhaven, 1988. "Transportation, Frontier Effects And Regional Development In The Common Market," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 37-51, January.
    12. Bing Li & Zhifeng Liu & Ying Nan & Shengnan Li & Yanmin Yang, 2018. "Comparative Analysis of Urban Heat Island Intensities in Chinese, Russian, and DPRK Regions across the Transnational Urban Agglomeration of the Tumen River in Northeast Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-16, July.
    13. Antonello Ignazio Croce & Giuseppe Musolino & Corrado Rindone & Antonino Vitetta, 2021. "Estimation of Travel Demand Models with Limited Information: Floating Car Data for Parameters’ Calibration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-23, August.
    14. Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata & Wei, Jinlin, 2023. "Railways and cities in India," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    15. Chen, Zhenhua & Haynes, Kingsley E., 2017. "Impact of high-speed rail on regional economic disparity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 80-91.
    16. Li, Jing & Yu, Qian & Ma, Ding, 2024. "Does China's high-speed rail network promote inter-city technology transfer? ——A multilevel network analysis based on the electronic information industry," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 11-24.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jin, Mengjie & Gu, Ruyue & Li, Kevin X. & Shi, Wenming & Xiao, Yi, 2024. "Heterogeneous impacts of the high-speed railway network on urban–rural income disparity: Spatiotemporal evidence from Yangtze River Delta of China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    2. Mohsen Momenitabar & Raj Bridgelall & Zhila Dehdari Ebrahimi & Mohammad Arani, 2021. "Literature Review of Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of High-Speed Rail in the World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-27, November.
    3. Zhou, Rui & Yu, Yang & Wang, Zi & Dong, Liuyang & Luo, Xunrui, 2024. "The spatially differentiated impact of high-speed railway on accessibility and socio-economic development of developing regions: A study in southwest China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    4. Wu, Bingyu & Levinson, David M., 2024. "A multi-modal analysis of the effect of transport on population and productivity in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. Federico Cavallaro & Francesco Bruzzone & Silvio Nocera, 2023. "Effects of high-speed rail on regional accessibility," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 1685-1721, October.
    6. Guojie Ma & Jinxing Hu & Riquan Zhang, 2023. "Spatial-Temporal Distribution and Coupling Relationship of High-Speed Railway and Economic Networks in Metropolitan Areas of China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-23, June.
    7. Xu, Wangtu (Ato) & Zhou, Jiangping & Qiu, Guo, 2018. "China's high-speed rail network construction and planning over time: a network analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 40-54.
    8. Li, Kaiqin & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2024. "Does high-speed railway promote horizontal equity within and between cities? Evidence from China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    9. Yang, Haoran & Wang, Peng & Liu, Jingyang & Zhang, Yuhao, 2025. "How high-speed rail development empowers urban health: Evidence from Chinese prefectural-level data," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    10. Mohsen Momenitabar & Zhila Dehdari Ebrahimi & Mohammad Arani, 2020. "A Systematic and Analytical Review of the Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact of the Deployed High-Speed Rail (HSR) Systems on the World," Papers 2003.04452, arXiv.org, revised Mar 2020.
    11. Jing Fan & Hironori Kato & Xinghua Liu & Ye Li & Changxi Ma & Liang Zhou & Mingzhang Liang, 2022. "High-Speed Railway Network Development, Inter-County Accessibility Improvements, and Regional Poverty Alleviation: Evidence from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.
    12. Luo, Huanhuan & Zhao, Shengchuan, 2021. "Impacts of high-speed rail on the inequality of intercity accessibility: A case study of Liaoning Province, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    13. Minhua Yang & Rui Yao & Linkun Ma & Ang Yang, 2024. "Towards a Low-Carbon Target: How the High-Speed Rail and Its Expansion Affects Industrial Concentration and Macroeconomic Conditions: Evidence from Chinese Urban Agglomerations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-18, September.
    14. Yang, Zhiwei & Li, Can & Jiao, Jingjuan & Liu, Wei & Zhang, Fangni, 2020. "On the joint impact of high-speed rail and megalopolis policy on regional economic growth in China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 20-30.
    15. Ren, Xiaohang & Xiao, Ya & Dong, Kangyin & Wang, Kun, 2025. "Adding fuel to the flames? Spatial convergence effects of railway development on global tourism industry," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 545-558.
    16. Cavallaro, Federico & Bruzzone, Francesco & Nocera, Silvio, 2020. "Spatial and social equity implications for High-Speed Railway lines in Northern Italy," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 327-340.
    17. (Ato) Xu, Wangtu & Zhou, Jiangping & Yang, Linchuan & Li, Ling, 2018. "The implications of high-speed rail for Chinese cities: Connectivity and accessibility," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 308-326.
    18. Wang, Shaobo & Zhou, Yutao & Guo, Jianke & Mao, Jinhuang, 2023. "Did high speed rail accelerate the development of tourism economy? – Empirical analysis from Northeast China," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 25-35.
    19. Weichen Liu & Jiaying Guo & Wei Wu & Youhui Cao, 2022. "The evolution of regional spatial structure influenced by passenger rail service: A case study of the Yangtze River Delta," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 651-679, June.
    20. Jiao, Jingjuan & Zhang, Qilin & Jiang, Runze & Lyu, Guowei, 2025. "Does high-speed rail contribute to cross-boundary agglomeration of migrant workers? Evidence from China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:175:y:2026:i:c:s0967070x2500410x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.