As rectified by the Ministry of Railways, a full-berth most luxurious passenger train in China would appear October on the busiest Beijing-Shanghai Railway to ease transport pressure on the line, Lu Dongfu, director of Shanghai Railway Bureau, was quoted as saying, May 29.

The new train would follow the schedule of "set off in the evening and arrive in the morning", with nearly the same speed of other trains but much more comfort. It is reported to have hard, soft sleeping berths and luxury suites, but not seats. The suite will be a double room with independent washroom, installed with LCD TV and satellite programs are available. What is more, the carriages are equipped with IP phones and western food and bars are provided on top of Chinese food.

For the time being there are only three pairs of trains including 13/14 and 21/22 running between the two cities, with a yearly 99 percent seat occupation rate.

Ticket price for the luxury train has not been set yet, but no sharp rise is predicted, says Lu.

(People's Daily 05/30/2001)