The impact of rail infrastructure on regional identity, participation and development – Evidence from a thought-experiment

The shift towards rail is an important factor for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. In many cases, new or renewed railway infrastructure is needed for such a shift, especially in regional transport. Recent developments show that rail infrastructure projects are often initiated at local level, by parliaments and governments or independent citizen initiatives. Drawing upon knowledge about the influence of digital infrastructure on social capital, we assume that transport infrastructure has a more encompassing effect on regional development, covering social identity and political participation in addition to economic effects. Using data from an online thought experiment about different forms of local rail access and an ordered probit model approach, we find that knowledge about successful reactivations of rail infrastructures increases regional identification as well as trust in the democratic process. Knowledge about successful citizen initiatives in this context amplifies such trust in particular. Furthermore, acceptance of state expenditure for rail infrastructure increases as well. The results have important implications for public policy strategies and local politics regarding the strengthening of sustainable modes of transport such as rail, against the backdrop of climate change.