Abstract: This paper introduces the variable of high-speed railway into the research framework of new economic geography so as to construct a theoretical model of the impact of high-speed railway on industrial agglomeration of the cities along the lines, and then it puts forward some relevant assumptions. Based on the data of 80 prefecture-level cities in the six central provinces, it adopts the different-in-different method and the mediating effect method to conduct an empirical test on the relevant assumptions. The results show that the opening of high-speed railways has a significant and robust promoting function on the increase of industrial agglomeration degree, and this function will be strengthened with the increase of high-speed rail lines. The effect of high-speed railways on industrial agglomeration is only significant in the cities with a population of less than 500,000 where the effect is the strongest. The high-speed railway is beneficial to industrial agglomeration of private enterprises, but it has a reverse impact on industrial agglomeration of state-owned enterprises. The high-speed railway would change the degree of industrial agglomeration of the cities along the lines through affecting the mobility of industrial labors.

Key words: high-speed railway, industrial agglomeration, new economic geography, different-in-different model, mediating effect