Abstract:

As a basic component of comprehensive three-dimensional transportation corridor of the Yangtze River economic belt, railway plays an important role in building transport channel, accelerating the flow of socio-economic elements, promoting the development of the whole area. Based on the railway passenger transport network, this paper analyses the spatial pattern of railway passenger accessibility by using rail-travel time index in the age of fast-speed and high-speed. And then, the impact of railway traffic change on the development of urban tertiary industry is analyzed by using the market panel data model. Results are shown as follows. 1) Railway passenger transportation in the Yangtze River economic belt has been greatly enhanced by the operating speed acceleration and transportation capability expansion of existed railway lines and the opening of high-grade new lines. However, the spatial density and time gradient during railway construction cause spatio-temporal compression of railway accessibility change unbalanced. With the development of the high-speed railway from east to west, the gap between the three zones has gradually narrowed. 2) The disequilibrium of time and space compression in the economic belt is brought by railway construction and "channel effect" is evident. On the basis of the former Jing-Guang channel, the high accessibility area has expanded to Hu-Kun channel and Hu-Han-Rong channel with the construction of the express channel from east to west. With the strengthening of the north-south channel, network development is realized. The main reason for the difference of railway traffic location is changing from presence of railway to the differences of the construction standard during the study period. High-speed railway redefines passenger services. The low-travel time network is being strengthened in major urban areas and interzone high accessibility network convergence appears along main interregional communication channels. The east-west high-speed railway corridors prop up the most obvious traffic location advantage areas. Fast connections between central cities through the "core - network" model reconstruct original discrete urban spatial organization form and drive the changes of traffic location among cities, which achieve integrated development of urban agglomerations and network communication from east to west. At the same time, the development mode may cause a greater imbalance between the core and the periphery. People and factors continue to cluster in the Yangtze River delta, Wuhan, Chang-Zhu-Tan and other economically advanced regions. 3) Railway passenger transport is one of the most important tools for long-distance personnel transportation and has great social and economic effects in the evolution of railway accessibility. Railway construction and accessibility promotion promote urban tertiary industry development and factors concentration, which shows the pattern of the Middle and the East higher, the West lower. Industry and elements tend to cluster and expand in the direction of railway channels. By using the advantage of railway traffic location, cities of Strong positive effect function, including railway channel node cities, cities along the traditional railway main channels and cities along the new railways attract elements in a relatively competitive environment.

Key words: railway accessibility, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, tertiary industry development