Transport research under Belt and Road Initiative: current trends and future research agenda

Xueqin Wang, Yiik Diew Wong, Kevin X. Li, Kum Fai Yuen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A substantial amount of transportation research has been gathered under China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), suggesting multi-dimensional impacts of the BRI on the transportation industry. This study identifies research trends in the BRI to elicit key agendas for future research by comprehensively reviewing 58 journal articles and applying combined methods of inductive content analysis and co-occurrence network analysis. Findings indicate that the BRI positively impacts the transportation industry by (1) building logistics capacity (2) strengthening connectivity of transportation network (3) diversifying shipping routes of oil transportation (thus enhancing energy security) (4) promoting intermodal transportation. A unified framework and four observations are presented, illustrating strategic risks and operational challenges associated with the BRI. Principal research agendas and questions are proposed, directing future research towards reconfiguration of transportation networks and healthy competition in transportation service standards.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)357-379
Number of pages23
JournalTransportmetrica A: Transport Science
Volume17
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies Limited.

ASJC Scopus Subject Areas

  • Transportation
  • General Engineering

Keywords

  • alternative shipping routes
  • Belt and Road Initiative
  • intermodal transportation
  • logistics capacity building
  • transportation network connectivity

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