Doctoral student Zekun Li and Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning Zhenhua Chen have published “Predicting the future development scale of high-speed rail through the urban scaling law” in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice.

High-speed rail (HSR) has become a significant mode of intercity travel due to its numerous socioeconomic and environmental benefits. Although some countries, such as China and Spain, have developed comprehensive HSR networks, many other nations are also investing or interested in developing their HSR infrastructure. However, concerns are arising about the high cost of HSR development and operation and whether the massive investment in HSR is justified. Furthermore, it remains unclear what HSR scale is appropriate to maintain travel demand and financial sustainability, considering the socioeconomic heterogeneity among different regions.

Read more at Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice