New trains with faster running speed and more comfortable seating started their trial trips today in the Shanghai Railway Station for nearby cities including Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province and Nanjing in Jiangsu Province.

The trains were manufactured by the Changchun Car Factory in Jilin Province.Some 20separate carriages of the new trains were transported from Jilin to the city last week.

The practice was in line with city government's plan to increase significantly the number of trains running between Shanghai and nearby cities this year for greater commuter convenience.

With more trains available,the intervals between train times will be reduced from several hours to ten minutes by year-end,they said.

Eighteen more carriages of the same kind will be transported from Changchun to the city on April 20.

Heated tap water,iceboxes and automatic doors between carriages are among the features of the trains.

( eastday.com April 17, 2002)