Journal of Transport and Land Use

The effects of high-speed rail, bullet trains, and commuter rail on commuting flows across administrative boundaries: Implications for integrated transportation planning in China

Daming Lu

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Wenjia Zhang

Tongji University

Mei-Po Kwan

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5198/jtlu.2026.2855

Keywords: Intercity rail, Land-use contexts, Commuting across boundaries, Cross-classified multilevel model, China Greater Bay Area

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Abstract

While the development of high-speed rail (HSR), bullet trains, and commuter rail has played an important role in shaping coordinated megaregional development, few empirical studies have compared the effects of different types of rail transport infrastructure on the number of commuters across administrative boundaries. Using big data from multiple sources, this study employs a cross-classified multilevel model to estimate three planning strategies that affect commuting across administrative boundaries at the sub-district/community scale in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, including (1) the facilitation of rail infrastructure, (2) the impedance of administrative boundaries, and (3) land-use settings in both residential and workplace destinations. The results suggest that HSR and commuter rail connectivity are positively associated with commuting across administrative boundaries, with a larger estimated coefficient for HSR, whereas bullet train connectivity is not significant. City and district boundaries are negatively associated with commuting across administrative boundaries and weaken its association with intercity rail connectivity. Positive interaction effects are also found between HSR connectivity and residential density in home communities and job density in work communities. These findings can help policymakers determine the priority of various railway infrastructures in the PRD region, also suggesting their incorporation into regional governance and land-use strategies.

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