OSAKA -- Osaka-based Kintetsu Railway Co. held a test-ride for its new "Hinotori" ("phoenix") limited express trains between Osaka and Nara Prefecture in western Japan on Feb. 5.

The test ride, open to reporters, was held before the train, officially known as the Series 80000, is introduced on March 14. The new trains will replace the current Series 21000 and 21020 "Urban Liner" limited express trains.

The new model's "Premium Car" has a high-deck structure whose floor is higher than that of regular cars. The front and both sides of the "Premium Car" feature large glass windows to give passengers panoramic views. Reporters and photographers took snapshots of scenery through the large windows during the test ride between Osaka's Uehonmachi Station and Haibara Station in the Nara Prefecture city of Uda.

Company officials said the cabins of the carriages are designed to ensure comfort for passengers. Specifically, each seat has a "backshell" system, sliding toward the front when the seat is reclined to avoid adversely affecting the comfort of passengers sitting behind.

Seats have a 130-centimeter pitch, or distance between each other, on the Premium cars at the front and the end of the train. This is the longest among Japan's trains, according to Kintetsu Railway's public relations department. Seats on regular cars have a 116-centimeter pitch.

The fares between Osaka's Nanba Station and Kintetsu-Nagoya Station in central Japan will be 5,240 yen including Japan's 10% consumption tax for a seat on a Premium car, and 4,540 yen for a regular seat. The fastest Hinotori train will travel between these two stations in two hours and five minutes.

(Japanese original by Masaki Takahashi, Osaka City News Department)