The Bullet Train as a Boost for Second-Tier Cities

California's high-speed rail line is good at attracting mixed news, and this week was no exception. On the positive end of the spectrum, lawmakers approved the issue of billions in taxpayer bonds to fund the project's groundbreaking in the Central Valley, and a new public poll found that 59 percent of people believe the system is important to the state's future. On the negative end, lawsuits continue to threaten the line's progress, and the same poll found that many Californians remain opposed to the projected costs.

The line may remain embattled for years to come, but there's other news this week that should have everyone in the state taking a temporary break from the fighting to rejoice. It comes in the form of a very encouraging report by Chinese researcher Siqi Zheng and Matthew Kahn of UCLA published online ahead of print in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work found that bullet trains facilitate "market integration"; in simple terms, high-speed rail boosts life in satellite cities while relieving pressure in major ones: