China Has Introduced Business Class Carriages On The UNDERGROUND

China has introduced its first underground trains with a dedicated business-class section – but commuters aren’t sure it’s a good idea.

Featuring comfortable velvet seats and lots of leg room, the expensive luxury carriages are now available to passengers in Shenzhen.

The metropolis in South China’s Guangdong Province is a similar size to London in population and is thus plagued by the same sort of packed carriages during weekdays.

But now, on the newly opened Line 11, commuters can travel in style – if they have the cash.

Tickets cost three times more than those in economy, which start at 2 RMB (0.23 GBP) for the first four kilometres (2.5 miles).

Type A trains on Line 11 will reach a maximum reported speed of 120 kph (74.5 mph) and can transport some 2,564 passengers at any one time.

The subway in Shenzhen is often crowded (CEN)

Two carriages out of eight on each of the trains have been converted to business class.

However, some believe this will make the remaining six carriages even more crammed, according to the Shanghaiist.

The website reports that, on social media, commuters have been venting their fury.

“The company should always have people’s best interests at heart. Public transportation is supposed to be a public service available to all residents of China, but it turns out to be a mere tool to earn money,” one user wrote.

However, another said: “I think it’s acceptable. If paying a few more yuan can get you a cozier seat, what’s there to complain about?”

Trains on Line 11 stop at 18 stations and travel over 51.9 kilometres (32.25 miles), beginning in the Bitou area – near the border with the neighbouring city of Dongguan – and passing through Terminal 3 at Shenzhen’s airport before terminating in the Futian District, where there are connections to metro lines 2 and 3.

(Credit: CEN)