BEIJING, April 4 -- For the 7th time since 1997, railway in China underwent an overhaul Wednesday.

    The Ministry of Railways (MOR) began running 89 new direct passenger trains increasing capacity by more than 10.6 percent.

    China also launched two new high-speed lines for passengers. One runs between Anhui to Hubei province.

    The other is between northern Hebei to Shanxi Province. The 250-km-per-hour trains cut travel times by up to 5 hours.

    The changes come at a cost. The ministry also increased several ticket prices.

    Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.

    (Source: XHTV)