Passengers walk out of a subway train linking Shanghai and Kunshan in Jiangsu province, Oct 16. [Photo/CFP]

The country's first inter-province metro line opened for trial operation on Wednesday, taking passengers from Shanghai to Kunshan in adjacent Jiangsu province.

The new route is an extension of Shanghai subway's Line 11, taking trains a further 6 kilometers northwest of the city center.

The extension starts at Anting station in Shanghai's Jiading district and ends at Huaqiao station in Jiangsu's Kunshan.

Three new stations - Zhaofeng Road, Guangming Road and Huaqiao - have been constructed, all in Kunshan city.

Passengers will be able to travel from Kunshan to downtown Shanghai via Line 11 in about an hour. The price of a ticket for the journey will be 7 yuan ($1.15).

The new extension has also increased the total length of Shanghai's metro network to 468 km, with a total of 303 stations.