High-Speed Rail: Spatial and Temporal Transformations in China’s Regional Economic Development

Jingjuan Jiao, an Associate Professor in the School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University. She earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Possessing a robust academic foundation, she has consistently committed herself to research in transport economics and policy, transport geography, and regional development. She has overseen numerous significant research initiatives in these domains, encompassing the General Programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing Social Science Foundation Planning Projects, National High-End Think Tank Research Project, and industry-sponsored projects. As a specialist in transport economics and geography, her research synthesizes diverse theories and approaches from applied economics, economic geography, econometrics, and machine learning. She has performed comprehensive and thorough investigations into the effects of HSR on regional economic development, concentrating on critical aspects such as accessibility, connectivity, regional economic growth, industrial restructuring, and spatial reorganization. Her research has produced significant theoretical and empirical outcomes. Relevant research outcomes have been disseminated in prestigious international journals of transportation economics, including Transportation Research Part A, Transportation Research Part D, Transport Policy, Journal of Transport Geography, and Transportation, alongside the Journal of the China Railway Society, a prominent authoritative publication in the railway sector in China. In acknowledgment of her exceptional achievements to research in transport economics and policy, Associate Professor Jingjuan Jiao received the 2025 Zhan Tianyou Prize in Techno-Economics (Youth Award).

Ran An, a Master’s candidate in Industrial Economics at the School of Economics and Management, Beijing Jiaotong University. Her research focuses on regional economics, transport geography, high-speed rail and regional development, and spatial policy evaluation. As a key participant, she has been deeply involved in multiple General Programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Beijing Social Science Foundation Planning Projects, and she has served as a volunteer at the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Her research has been published in Transportation Research Part A. She is a recipient of multiple prestigious awards, including the National Encouragement Scholarship, University First-Class Scholarship, and honors such as Merit Student. She has also achieved success in national and international competitions, earning an Honorable Mention in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM), a Provincial Silver Award in the China International ＂Internet+＂ College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and a Provincial Second Prize in the National College Students E-commerce ＂Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship＂ Challenge.