Research on the Influence of High-speed Railway Construction and Opening on the Industrial Structure Change of Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration

Purpose/Significance The construction and opening of high-speed railways have an important influence on the changes in urban industrial structure. Design/Methodology Through the difference-in-differences and the propensity score matching model, this paper analyzes the changes of industrial structure in 16 cities of Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration during the two phases of high-speed railway construction and opening, which is known as the high-speed railway effect. Moreover, this paper introduces the effect model for quantile treatment to study the impact of high-speed railway on urban representative industries with different economic development levels. Findings/Conclusions The results show that the construction and opening of high-speed railway have a remarkable positive effect on the economic growth of secondary and tertiary industries. The secondary industry represented by construction industry and industry gathered and transferred to cities where high-speed railway is under construction; the tertiary industry represented by wholesale & retail and real estate showed the boost to and siphonic effect on the industries during the construction and opening phases of high-speed railway .