Research purposes: In order to comprehensively measure the evolution of the Chinese city accessibility supported by railway passenger transport network based on the characteristics of whole travel time of railway passengers, this paper proposes the concept of "Travel Cumulative Time (TCT)", and selects representative time nodes for accessibility analysis and evaluation.
Research conclusions: (1) The "four vertical and four horizontal" high-speed rail network plays a huge role in improving the accessibility between cities, and the high access network showing the pattern of large loops and radial extensions has taken shape. (2) The gravity center of access network represents a clear southward trend. (3) Railway construction has provided significant support for the improvement of urban accessibility in the western region in recent years. (4) Due to the design speed, mixed passenger and freight traffic, the accessibility level between cities in some sections of Shanghai-Wuhan-Chengdu Corridor and Southeast Coastal Corridor is not high, which affects the convenience and timeliness of passenger travel in these areas. (5) The research results can provide reference for scientific evaluation of railway passenger transport accessibility