A new train offering the facilities and standards of a four-star hotel will begin plying the Beijing-Shanghai route by the end of next month，a railway official announced, according to today's China Daily.

The luxury train will be named T21/T22，while the original T21/T22 will be renamed T109，said Tian Lidong of the Beijing Railway Station.

The schedule will be similar to the original，with four trains per day，he said.

Tian added the fare is expected to be a little higher than the current T21（327 yuan，or US$39 for hard sleepper and 499 ，or US$60 for soft sleeper，but that it will still be much lower than the air fare，which is over 900 yuan（US$108）。

The train is composed exclusively of couchettes，with eight hard sleeper，four soft sleeper and one first-class compartment.

In the soft sleeper couchettes，each passenger will have a multi-channel liquid crystal TV screen for use with earplugs， space for his laptop，and a toilet and shower.

According to the Yangtze Evening News，the train is due to receive ISO9001 accreditation.

Some 180 conductors have undergone intensive training with help from airlines，and their English has been brought up to speed，Tian said.

(Xinhua 09/04/2001)