High-Speed Railway Facilities, Intercity Accessibility and Urban Innovation Level—Evidence from Cities in Three Chinese Megacity Regions

This paper investigates the impact of high-speed railways (HSR) on urban innovation levels by improving intercity accessibility. We employ prefecture city-level data within three megacity regions in China from 2009 to 2018. Using number invention patents granted as a proxy for level city, we find that HSR facilities significantly improve through better regional accessibility and there is diminishing effect commuting time increases. The mechanisms improvement can be explained an ever-increasing potential interaction activities among talents technology investment opportunities cities. contribute literature highlighting spatial attenuation well underlying mechanisms. Particularly, talent exerts larger than opportunities. Moreover, unravel heterogeneous effects more innovative cities with double first-class universities gain improved brought HSR. research has policy implications promoting improves different resources.