OSAKA -- A golden train will appear on the Nanko Port Town Line on April 1 to commemorate the launch of Osaka Metro, the new private operator of the Osaka municipal subway.

A four-car train will be painted gold for the launch. The Osaka Municipal Transportation Bureau is currently working on replacing all trains on the line to the new 200 series, whose front exterior is designed to resemble the smile of a child running in a park.

The bureau is offering about 50 people the chance to ride in the golden train during its inaugural run, and is inviting applications. The new company will not announce the time schedule of the special train, so that its arrival will surprise passengers. Officials hope that its popularity will offer some prosperity for the money-losing line.