Ghost town or city of hope? The spatial spillover effects of high-speed railway stations in China

In the past decade, China has developed the most extensive high-speed rail (HSR) transportation network globally. Previous studies have shown that HSR greatly improved inter-city accessibility and that it plays an increasingly important role in facilitating urban growth. Chinese cities tend to use the spatial spillover benefits of HSR stations to promote the HSR new town development program. This study aims to measure the spatial spillover effect of HSR stations in China accurately by employing high-precision calibrated nighttime light satellite images. By utilizing a difference-in-differences estimation, it was found that the nighttime light image intensity has increased by an average of 27% in areas surrounding HSR stations. The study additionally documents a number of heterogeneities concerning these spillover effects across Chinese cities and provides an in-depth discussion regarding the factors that could affect the performance of HSR new towns.