The Regional and Local Scale Evolution of the Spatial Structure of High-Speed Railway Networks—A Case Study Focused on Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration

Abstract

China has entered an era of rapid high-speed railway (HSR) development and the spatial structure of urban agglomerations will evolve in parallel with the development and evolution of the spatial structure of the HSR network. In this study, we explore how the spatial structure of an HSR network evolves at regional and local scales. Existing research into HSR network structures has mostly been carried out at a regional scale, and has therefore failed to reveal the spatial connections within a city. In this work, we progress the science by exploring it at a local scale. To describe the HSR network more accurately, we use the dwell time to simulate the passenger flow between stations and use the simulated passenger flow as the network weight. We use complex network analysis to investigate the evolution of the network’s spatial structure. Our results present the evolution of station locations, of community structure, and of the locations of connections between stations at a regional scale, and also show how HSR network development within core cities has impacted structures and connectivity at a local scale. These results help us to understand the spatial structure of urban agglomerations and cities, and provide evidence that can be used to optimize the structure of the HSR network within regions and cities.