SHANGHAI'S maglev line, the world's fastest train, will extend its daily running times by five hours until Friday, to test public reaction, the Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Company said.

The trains will run from 7am until 9pm instead of the normal 8.30am to 5.30pm.

In the extending hours, the train will be restricted to 300 kilometers an hour, instead of the normal 430 kilometers an hour, to conserve energy.

The interval between trains is 15 minutes. The one-way trip in the extended hours will take 8 minutes 10 seconds, compared with the normal 7 minutes 20 seconds.

Passengers will be able to catch 70 percent of flights in the Pudong International Airport by the maglev trains, compared with just 40 percent normally.

The maglev line has carried more than 5 million passengers since it was put into operation in 2002. Last year, the company cut the price of a one-way trip to 50 yuan (US$6) from 75 yuan.