Impact of the High-Speed Railway Operation on Promoting Urban Economic Growth: Research Based on Firms' Selection Effect

Using the panel data of 249 non-central cities and 35 central cities across China from 2009 to 2018, this research examines the impact on the economic growth of non-central cities by the high-speed railway connection with more central cities. It found that connecting high-speed railway between non-central cities and more central cities significantly promoted their economic growth, especially for non-central cities located in the central and western regions, geographically far away from central cities, and large in non-agricultural industries. The mechanism test shows that connecting to more central cities by high-speed railway promotes the economic growth of non-central cities by causing industrial diversification and agglomeration and restructuring of enterprise supply chains. Therefore, optimizing the layout of the high-speed railway network and giving full play to its driving role in the economic growth of non-central cities is an important way to achieve the goal of common prosperity.