Bus + Train = This

By Miss Cellania in Auto & Transportation on May 27, 2008 at 8:49 pm

Toyota and subsidiary Hino Motors are joining forces with Japan Rail Hokkaido to develop vehicles that can drive on roads and railways. The DMV (Dual Mode Vehicle) has rubber tires and steel wheels, and can convert in about 15 seconds. They began testing the vehicles 18 months ago.

Combing the versatility of a bus with the speed of a train has allowed Japan Rail to tailor routes and services to the communities it serves. Rather than scuttling service on under-utilized lines, Japan Rail has simply switched to smaller vehicles.

Dual-mode vehicles would be a great addition to America’s mass transit infrastructure. It would make rail transit feasible in those areas that don’t have the population density to support a lot of stations, and make mass transit a more viable option for exurbs. Riders could simply hop on at a bus stop in their neighborhood, then ride the rails to their destination.

The new vehicles also use a lot less diesel fuel than conventional busses. Link

(image credit: NeiTech)

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samantha
May 27th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
so we’re going back in time to a trolly type of deal? see, people knew what was up in the past..
Christophe
May 27th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
The technology has been used for quite some time for industrial needs. In the bus, they just traded pulling power for speed.

You can see some pics in this web site:
http://www.railrouteeurope.com/
your_mum_goes_to_college
May 27th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Sort of like a tram.
Bpaul
May 27th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Wonder how the ride is. I know when the trucks that convert over are driven on the rails it’s some seriously rough going.

And the gas mileage. If both are good, this would be quite a boon.

Bp
Bpaul
May 27th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Whups, less on the diesel use, just saw that.

nice
Archbob
May 28th, 2008 at 1:23 am
Saves gas, can I buy one?
K!P
May 28th, 2008 at 1:53 am
add a computer and distance radar, and you can sit back and relax for the long stretch, only to start steering again when you hit the station/intercetion.
manuel
May 28th, 2008 at 5:39 am
They actually have those already running in Adelaide, Australia except the rails are concrete so it doesn’t need the extra train wheels. Sort of like the Disney mono rail.
Ray
May 28th, 2008 at 9:25 am
The problem in the US is that the tracks are owned by their respective railroad companies. Their traffic takes precedence.
Ask Amtrak, it’s a large part of the reason they habitually run late.
Plus it requires literally millions of dollars in liability insurance to put a private car on the tracks.

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