The Impact of the High Speed Train in China

High speed train (HST) has become the dominant mode of transport on many countries, which is a technological break-through in passenger transport which has allowed to increase railways share in modal split in medium range distances, competing with road and air transport. The largest high-speed train in China was launched in November 2009, with high success according to occupancy rates and public opinion of its quality, safety and impact on regional development. This paper estimates that the HST is best designed to substitute conventional railway services on routes where much higher capacity is required and to reduce travel time, further improving the railway service, also against other modes, therefore leading to mode substitution. It is found that the environmental impacts are not clear. And the high investment in HST infrastructure could not be justified based on its economic development benefits since these are not certain.