Rolling stock on the Trans-Siberian Express is getting an upgrade for the first time in over a decade, with the introduction of new locomotives and carriages.

The new train is undergoing trial operations after it rolled off the production line Sunday, the Beijing Morning Post reported on Monday, but whether the new levels of comfort will affect passenger numbers remains to be seen, as price and the journey time is off-putting to business travelers and freight companies.  

The new K3/4 international train, produced by China South Locomotive and Rolling Stock Corporation (CRS) has seen the first upgrade in terms of its compartments, engines, heating system and service systems since 1996, the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Monday.

Beijing Railway Bureau confirmed the news, but said that it would take a while for the new train to go into official operations. 

A man surnamed Su, from Beijing China and Russia Huatong International Freight Agency, told the Global Times that they do not use the train for transporting goods between Beijing and Moscow.

"Some might have used it in the old days," he said, "but we normally use flights or ships, which are faster."

Fedor S. Zhirov, a Russian who works in the media, said that he has never been on the Trans-Siberian Express.  

"I normally fly, which takes about nine hours from Beijing to Moscow, but the train takes five to seven days," he said.

"Besides, I heard the ticket is quite expensive, so I'd have to consider that if I were to take the train," he said.

This international route was originally put into service in 1959.

The service has carried 1.2 million passengers in the last 50 years, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Ticket prices for a trip from Beijing to Moscow vary from 3,000 yuan ($473) up to $6,000 yuan, depending on the class, the Beijing Morning Post said.

The 1990s might have seen the heyday of passenger traffic on the route, with traders using it to transport goods to and fro, but it also attracted thieves and robbers who targeted the train for its rich pickings. 

Ai Anjun, a railway police officer from Beijing Railway Bureau, said that security on the train is much improved, due to the change in the type of passengers.

"The train used to be the main way vendors, of various social backgrounds, traveled between Beijing to Moscow, but not anymore," he said.

He would not give further details about the passenger profile nowadays on the train.

CRS could not be reached for comment.