China's first inter-city express railway will undergo a one-month trial from July 1 on the route line Beijing and Tianjin, the Ministry of Railway said in Beijing on Monday.

Two stewardesses stand beside a bullet train at a railway station in Tianjin, July 1, 2008. The high-speed trains, to run as fast as 300 kilometers per hour between Beijing and Tianjin, begin test runs on Tuesday. The shuttle train servcie will be provided before the Beijing Olympic Games

The Beijing-Tianjin express railway is the country's first self-developed express railway, with a designed speed exceeding 300 kilometers per hour. The 115 km journey would only take 27 minutes.

The trial, to be run without passengers, would include spot repairs, train management system control, cleaning and catering services.

From July 1 to 10, three pairs of trains will run the route to collect data such as departure and arrival times, said a ministry statement.

In the next 10 days, four pairs of trains will run continuously at five-minute intervals while simulating emergency situations, such as power failures, communication signal blackouts, equipment errors and bad weather.

The last 10 days, four pairs of trains would run the route at five minutes intervals to ensure coordination of all departments.

The express service is scheduled to begin on August 1.

(China Daily July 2, 2008)