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Title:

How Much Has High-Speed Rail Contributed to Economic Productivity in Japan?

Accession Number:

01590130

Record Type:

Component

Abstract:

This study investigates empirically the impact of high-speed rail (HSR) on regional economic productivity in the case of Japanese HSR, which has the longest history of HSR operation in the world. Empirical analyses with an econometric approach are carried out using panel data for 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006, covering 46 prefectures in Japan. To represent regional accessibility, a gravity-model-based accessibility is formulated using the minimum travel times from origins to destinations covering multiple transportation modes. Three econometric models—a pooled model, a fixed-effect model, and a random-effect model—are then employed to estimate impacts on regional economic productivity, using accessibility as well as sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors as explanatory variables. Accessibility is also treated as an instrumental variable, because reverse causation may be expected. The results show that while accessibility has a significant and positive impact on regional productivity, the reverse causal relationship could also be suggested. The findings also show that the presence of HSR stations significantly influences regional productivity and that its impact has been increasing gradually, possibly owing to the historical pattern of agglomeration near HSR stations. The impact of HSR on economic productivity is higher in regions with HSR stations, particularly those located far from the largest cities rather than those neighboring the largest cities. The results could imply that HSR contributes to narrowing the productivity gap between peripheral and urban areas, which justifies HSR projects as a means of regional development.

Supplemental Notes:

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ADD10 Standing Committee on Transportation and Economic Development.

Monograph Accession #:

01584066

Report/Paper Numbers:

16-0797

Language:

English

Corporate Authors:

Transportation Research Board

500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001 United States

Authors:

Cho, Takuma
Kato, Hironori
Wetwitoo, Jetpan

Pagination:

15p

Publication Date:

2016

Conference:

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Location: Washington DC, United States
Date: 2016-1-10 to 2016-1-14
Sponsors: Transportation Research Board

Media Type:

Digital/other

Features:

Figures; Maps; References; Tables

Geographic Terms:

Japan

Subject Areas:

Economics; Railroads; I10: Economics and Administration

Source Data:

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-0797

Files:

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Created Date:

Jan 12 2016 4:29PM