A driver operates a bullet train on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, June 21, 2011. Media reporters experienced a trial operation on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway on Tuesday. It takes a 300-kph bullet train one hour and 32 minutes from Jinan West Railway Station to Beijing South Railway Station, 2 hours shorter than the current high-speed trains.

Bullet trains running between Beijing and Shanghai, two major economic zones in China, will start operation on July 1, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said on June 23, 2011.

Tickets will go on sale later this week.

The trial prices have been set according to the speed of the train and the category of the seat. Tickets for trips on trains running at 300 kph will be priced between 555 yuan (85.6 U.S. dollars) for second-class seats and 1,750 yuan for business class. Prices for journeys on 250-kph trains will range from 410 yuan for second-class seats to 650 yuan for first-class.

Passengers can visit the China railway customer service website www.12306.cn to check detailed information and book tickets. ID cards can be used to board trains.

There will be 63 pairs of trains with the speed of 300 kph every day, cutting travel time to 4 hours and 48 minutes. The additional 27 pairs of trains running 250 kph will complete the trip in about 8 hours, 2 hours shorter than the current high-speed trains.