This paper integrates complex network theory with spatiotemporal hotspot analysis to assess the vulnerability of high-speed railway network. The spatial information is integrated into the construction of the high-speed railway network by using a combination of complex network analysis, linear referencing, and dynamic segmentation techniques. The spatiotemporal dynamics of passenger train operations and vulnerability in regions susceptible to seismic hazards are investigated. The findings show that train operations are primarily concentrated east of the Hu Line, with the busiest routes running along the country's ‘four vertical and four horizontal’ corridors. The peak activity occurs from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, with over 1500 trains operating simultaneously. The most vulnerable regions to seismic hazards are the northwest, southwest, and northeast, which also serve as critical nodes in the network. The All-EdgeRemoval strategy induces more severe network damage. Under deterministic full failure, the network efficiency decreases by 8.3%, and the largest connected component node count reduces by 5.8%. These declines narrow to 3.3% and 1.5% under probabilistic failure, and further shrink to 2.3% and 1.0% after seismic retrofitting of key stations. These results underscore the urgent need for strategic placement of emergency response resources at key stations such as Chaganhu, Songyuan, Changshantun and Menyuan.
Yin et al. (2026) studied this question.