To what extent can the subway improve ground transportation? What is the current situation in China? These are one of the key questions our Associate Professor Yizhen Gu together with other contributing authors are trying to answer in their recently published article on CAIXIN.COM.

Unlike already existing empirical research, this study uses the big data from Baidu maps to look into this question. The following are the main findings: 1) new subway lines tend to increase permeability of nearby roads, especially those who run parallel to the subway lines; 2) it also reduces traffic congestion by diverting bus and private car passengers; 3) considering the subsidies for the subway in Beijing, the benefits are very insignificant in terms of time saving and reducing traffic congestion.