Introduction to the special issue The regional and urban effects of high-speed trains

High-speed trains could be used to solve two different accessibility problems. In the first case, where a point to point link is dominant, they are a potential substitute for air travelling. In the second case it links together many cities and, hence, creates a new type of region or corridor with a high interregional accessibility. One important hypothesis for the discussion in this paper is the degree to which cities that are linked together into a band of cities by means of a high-speed train connection are transformed to an extended functional region or in other words an integrated corridor economy. This paper particularly examines economic integration in a corridor economy in the short, medium and long term. In considering the short-term perspective we discuss not only the integration of goods and service markets but also the integration of labour markets and markets for shopping, private services and leisure activities. The discussion of the medium term perspective is concentrated on the relocation of households and firms within a high-speed train corridor. To study the long-term integration effects of a high-speed train corridor we maintain that the analysis must be conducted using a genuinely dynamic model for the specialisation of production and, hence, for trade with and transport of goods and services and consequently transport of people.