Kent transport expert highlights value of high speed rail links to Chinese audience

University transport economics expert Professor Roger Vickerman highlighted the benefits of possible future high speed rail developments between China and Hong Kong in a lecture on 25 June in the Chinese capital Beijing.

Professor Vickerman delivered a paper based on his research at the Regional Studies Association’s annual conference, organised in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, around the theme 'Sustaining Regional Future'.

His paper, titled ‘Cross border integration through high-speed rail: Hong Kong-EU comparative study’, was co-authored with Professor Becky P Y Loo of Hong Kong University and Dr Cheng Yuk-shing of Hong Kong Baptist University.

It examined the development of high-speed rail within the context of the wider process of economic integration. This has been a major European policy objective and is also an objective being discussed by policy-makers in Hong Kong and its neighbouring areas of Mainland China.

Two case studies were used to illustrate the issues: the high-speed link between London and Paris and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel; and the development of a high-speed link between Kowloon and Guangzhou via Shenzhen.

The research has emerged from the University’s links with partner institutions in Hong Kong developed through its Hong Kong China Portal. Professor Vickerman is Professor of European Economics and Dean of the University’s Brussels School of International Studies.

Contact: pressoffice@kent.ac.uk

Story published at 12:13pm 28 June 2012