IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v24y2012icp89-110.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The wider spatial-economic impacts of high-speed trains: a comparative case study of Manchester and Lille sub-regions

Author

Listed:
  • Chen, Chia-Lin
  • Hall, Peter

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the wider spatial-economic impacts of high-speed trains (HSTs) within post-industrial regions. A core question underlies the analysis: can HST effects spread from the core city to surrounding sub-regions, or could they widen the gap between core and peripheral places? A comparative case study of two regions – Manchester and its sub-regions in North West England (UK) and Lille and its sub-regions in Nord-Pas-de-Calais (France) – with similar industrial trajectories and opportunities allied to two different HST approaches was conducted to offer crucial insights. The findings showed that for both regions, the arrival of HSTs did assist the development towards the knowledge economy, but the specific aspects vary. Also, the differential effects existed: the connection with the national capital by faster train services did economically strengthen the regional capital, but not some sub-regions around it, especially former industrial sub-regions. The comparison between the two regions shows that the transformation of post-industrial regions and sub-regions towards the knowledge economy brought by HSTs proves a complex and difficult process. Both post-industrial regions are still in the course of transition. In Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the wider economic transformation is just beginning to happen, while the laboriously-upgraded West Coast Main Line seems to demonstrate limits to its transformative power. This process involves much more than being connected with highspeed trains, significant as this may be. A full investigation of causality deserves another paper, but the findings suggested three critical factors: the economic trajectory and its infrastructure needs, a HST hub strategy and the simultaneous improvement of the intra-regional transport network, and path dependency.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Chia-Lin & Hall, Peter, 2012. "The wider spatial-economic impacts of high-speed trains: a comparative case study of Manchester and Lille sub-regions," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 89-110.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:24:y:2012:i:c:p:89-110
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.09.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096669231100144X
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2011.09.002?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Roger Vickerman & Klaus Spiekermann & Michael Wegener, 1999. "Accessibility and Economic Development in Europe," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(1), pages 1-15.
    2. Chen, Chia-Lin & Hall, Peter, 2011. "The impacts of high-speed trains on British economic geography: a study of the UK’s InterCity 125/225 and its effects," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 689-704.
    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. Zhang, Fangni & Yang, Zhiwei & Jiao, Jingjuan & Liu, Wei & Wu, Wenjie, 2020. "The effects of high-speed rail development on regional equity in China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 180-202.
    2. Ortega, Emilio & López, Elena & Monzón, Andrés, 2012. "Territorial cohesion impacts of high-speed rail at different planning levels," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 130-141.
    3. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Yannis Psycharis & Vassilis Tselios, 2012. "Public investment and regional growth and convergence: Evidence from Greece," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(3), pages 543-568, August.
    4. Miren Lafourcade & Jacques-François Thisse, 2011. "New Economic Geography: The Role of Transport Costs," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Mohíno, Inmaculada & Ureña, José M. & Solís, Eloy, 2016. "Transport infrastructure and territorial cohesion in rural metro-adjacent regions: A multimodal accessibility approach. The case of Castilla-La Mancha in the context of Madrid (Spain)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 115-133.
    6. Long, Fenjie & Zheng, Longfei & Song, Zhida, 2018. "High-speed rail and urban expansion: An empirical study using a time series of nighttime light satellite data in China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 106-118.
    7. Piotr Rosik & Julia Wójcik, 2022. "Transport Infrastructure and Regional Development: A Survey of Literature on Wider Economic and Spatial Impacts," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Jiao, Jingjuan & Wang, Jiaoe & Jin, Fengjun & Dunford, Michael, 2014. "Impacts on accessibility of China’s present and future HSR network," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 123-132.
    9. Sandy Dall’erba, 2005. "Distribution of regional income and regional funds in Europe 1989–1999: An exploratory spatial data analysis," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 39(1), pages 121-148, March.
    10. repec:onb:oenbwp:y::i:169:b:1 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Euijune Kim & Geoffrey J.D. Hewings & Hidayat Amir, 2015. "Project Evaluation of Transportation Projects: an Application of Financial Computable General Equilibrium Model," ERSA conference papers ersa15p453, European Regional Science Association.
    12. Theodore Tsekeris & Klimis Vogiatzoglou, 2014. "Public infrastructure investments and regional specialization: empirical evidence from Greece," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(3), pages 265-289, August.
    13. Bhatt, Ayushman & Kato, Hironori, 2021. "High-speed rails and knowledge productivity: A global perspective," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 174-186.
    14. David Martín-Barroso & Juan A. Núñez & Francisco J. Velázquez, 2013. "The Effect On Firms' Productivity Of Accessibility. The Spanish Manufacturing Sector," ERSA conference papers ersa13p1123, European Regional Science Association.
    15. Zhang, Yaoyu & Liu, Jin & Wang, Bo, 2022. "The impact of High-Speed Rails on urban expansion: An investigation using an SDID with dynamic effects method," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PB).
    16. Eamonn Judge, 2000. "The Regional and Environmental Dimension of Polish Motorway Policy," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(5), pages 488-493.
    17. Osterloh, Steffen & Heinemann, Friedrich, 2013. "The political economy of corporate tax harmonization — Why do European politicians (dis)like minimum tax rates?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 18-37.
    18. Riccardo Crescenzi & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2012. "Infrastructure and regional growth in the European Union," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(3), pages 487-513, August.
    19. Goldmann, Kathrin & Wessel, Jan, 2020. "TEN-T corridors – Stairway to heaven or highway to hell?," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 240-258.
    20. Goliszek Sławomir, 2022. "The potential accessibility to workplaces and working-age population by means of public and private car transport in Szczecin," Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, Sciendo, vol. 26(1), pages 31-41, January.
    21. Vickerman, Roger, 2008. "Transit investment and economic development," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 107-115, January.

    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:jotrge:v:24:y:2012:i:c:p:89-110. 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: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-transport-geography .

    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.