While I haven't had the chance to take the new connection, a friend used it for the short Suzhou - Kunshan hop and remarked that ticket prices in 1st class were double the D train fare.
Not sure if that is accurate but this China Daily article also mentions substantially higher fares than for other highspeed services:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2...t_11038626.htm
"A ticket for the express train is twice as expensive as that of a high-speed train (CHR), without saving any time," said Fu Tingting, a 37-year-old passenger who frequently travels between Shanghai and Nanjing.