Promoting or Inhibiting?Influence of Railway Container Transportation on Regional Economic Development

In the context of building a country with a strong transportation network,railway container transportation(RCT)is an import-ant means of reducing costs,increasing efficiency,and adjusting transportation structures.Thus,its impact on regional economic devel-opment is important.Based on data from railway container-handling stations and spatial econometric models,this study discusses the differences in the development of RCT and their impact on regional economic development at different leves.This study has three main findings:first,there are significant regional differences in the development of the RCT.The intra-regional differences between the east-ern and central regions of China(which do not include Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan)are gradually narrowing,while the regional dif-ferences in the western region are widening.Meanwhile,the intra-regional differences in important economic zones such as Pearl River Delta Economic Zone(PRDEZ),Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone(CYEZ),Bohai Rim Economic Zone(BHEZ),and Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone(YRDEZ)are narrowing daily.Second,the development differences of RCT in regional level and import-ant economic regions level show different trends.The unbalanced features of large regions are increasingly evident,whereas the differ-ences in economic regions are decreasing.However,the problem of overlapping RCT remains prominent.Third,the transformation of RCT development mode and fierce competition among transportation modes cause RCT to have a restraining effect on the regional eco-nomy at three levels.Rational allocation of resources and other means must be used to guide the transformation from inhibition to pro-motion,and by formulating targeted policies that will promote the development of RCT,which will improve the transportation structure and help construct a country with a strong transportation system.

An overview of seismic ground motion design criteria for transportation infrastructures in USA

This paper provides an overview of current seismic ground motion criteria for transportation infrastructures in USA. This is to facilitate an understanding of current seismic performance levels and design practices in USA for transportation professionals world-wide, especially those in Asian and Pacific regions. Seismic vulnerability of a transportation infrastructure is determined by the risk associated with the seismic ground motion and specified performance criteria. Determining an acceptable seismic risk is a very complex task that must consider both social and economic aspects. Obviously, the amount of risk that a railway bridge can accept may be different from that of a highway bridge. The economic tolerance in one country may be different from that in another country for the same type of infrastructure. In this paper, seismic performance levels and design criteria of ground motion for highway bridges, railway bridges and ports＇ container wharves in USA are reviewed, and design examples are presented to demonstrate how to develop the code-based and site-specific design acceleration response spectra and time histories.