Study of the Impact of a High-Speed Railway Opening on China’s Accessibility Pattern and Spatial Equality

Abstract

China’s high-speed rail was inaugurated in 2008; it has greatly improved accessibility, and reduced the time required to travel between cities, but at the same time, has caused an unfair distribution of accessibility levels. Therefore, this paper analyzes urban traffic roads and socio-economic statistics, using network analysis methods, accessibility coefficients of variation, and social demand indexes to explore the spatial and temporal characteristics of transport accessibility and spatial equity in China. By 2015, the national transport accessibility level will form a new pattern of “corridors” and “islands”, centered on high-speed rail lines and sites. Additionally, the opening of high-speed railways has improved, to a certain extent, the inter-regional accessibility balance, and increased accessibility from high-speed railway sites to non-site cities. Spatial equality was also analyzed using the accessibility coefficient and social demand index. In conclusion, studying accessibility and spatial equity plays an important role in the rational planning of urban land resources and transportation.