Does High-Speed Rail encourage firms to concentrate in major cities, or does it contribute to a more balanced distribution across territories?
This is the question at the heart of the study High-Speed Rail and Spatial Reallocation of Firms: Agglomeration or Dispersion Effects? Quantitative Evidence from the Italian Context, presented by L. Martiniello of FS Engineering, together with F. M. Olivieri and M. Vargiu of Universitas Mercatorum University, and Mario Tartaglia, Head of the FS Research Centre of the FS Group, at the 6th International Symposium on High-Speed Rail Socioeconomic Impacts, organized by UIC and the University of Naples Federico II and held online on 8–9 September 2026.
The research investigates how High-Speed Rail investments affect firms’ location choices and the spatial distribution of economic activity.
Using a quantitative Difference-in-Differences approach, the study compares Italian territories before and after the introduction of High-Speed Rail with areas not served by the network.
The analysis considers local economic characteristics, different types of firms, and the tourism sector. The study examines two contrasting effects: agglomeration, where firms concentrate in major urban centres, and dispersion, where improved accessibility encourages activity to relocate towards less central areas. The results provide evidence on how High-Speed Rail can reshape the geography of economic activity and help assess whether its benefits extend beyond the main urban centres.
The findings offer insights for infrastructure and territorial policies aimed at strengthening economic competitiveness and addressing spatial imbalances.