Abstract：High speed rail is one of the most important factors that influence the regional economic development. With the development of high speed rail construction in China, high speed rail is becoming the important factors that affect China's regional economic space layout. However, because of high speed rail construction in China starts later, and the high speed rail and regional economic development is a new and challenging task, so the research of high speed rail and regional economic development has not been fully carried out. Therefore, comprehensive and detailed introduction of foreign research progress in this area can provide a good reference for research on high speed rail and regional economic development in China. Foreign scholars' research on high speed rail and regional economic development mainly focus on motivation of high speed rail development、high speed rail's influence on the regional economic development and the mechanism of high speed rail's influence on the regional economic development. The research shows characteristics with the economics as main body, fusion of geography、environmental science and social science. But in general, the existing research on the theory and system is obviously insufficient, research on high speed rail externality、high speed rail's influence on the regional economic development needs further deepening. The high speed rail has become a new and important modes of transport that affects China's regional economic growth, but high speed rail construction and development in China also has been encountering many questioned and even opposed. The fact which developed countries vigorously develop the high speed rail proves that China's decision and direction to speed up development of high speed rail is correct. In terms of high speed rail impact on regional economy development, The author thinks that we need scientific research effect of high speed rail for China's regional economic growth, regional industry division, regional space exploitation and spatial structure adjustment, development of regional economic integration, unbalanced regional development, give full play the role of high speed rail promoting coordinated development of regional economy, then in the coordinated development of regional economy as the guidance, improve the high speed rail construction planning to provide the scientific basis for relevant decision-making.
