The first dual-mode vehicle, at home on road or rail, makes its debut in the town of Kaiyo in Japan’s Tokushima prefecture

iskova
Reuters
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Source: Reuters on Twitter, 25/12/2021

DMV- Bus or train?

TOKYO, Dec 24 (Reuters) — It’s a bus, it’s a train, it’s a DMV!

The world’s first dual-mode vehicle, equally at home on road and rail, is set to make its public debut on Saturday in the town of Kaiyo in Japan’s Tokushima prefecture.

But when it arrives at an interchange, steel wheels descend from the vehicle’s underbelly onto the rail track, effectively turning it into a train carriage.
(CNN)-The DMV looks like a minibus and runs on normal rubber tires on the road.
But when it arrives at an interchange, steel wheels descend from the vehicle’s underbelly onto the rail track, effectively turning it into a train carriage.
The train wheels lift the front tires off the track while the rear wheels stay down to propel the DMV onto the railway.
The CEO of Asa Coast Railway company, which operates the DMVs, said the vehicles could help small towns like Kaiyo with an aging and shrinking population, where local transport companies struggle to make a profit.
«This (DMV) can reach the locals (as a bus), and carry them onto the railway as well,» CEO Shigeki Miura told Reuters on Friday. «Especially in rural areas with an aging population, we expect it to be a very good form of public transport.»
The DMV can carry up to 21 passengers and runs at a speed of 60km/h (37 mph) on rail tracks and can go as fast as around 100km/h (62 mph) on public roads, Asa Coast Railway said.
Powered by diesel fuel, the small fleet of vehicles, which come in different colors, will run along part of the coast of Shikoku island in southern Japan, connecting several small towns and offering passengers attractive seaside scenery.
Source: CNN, 24/12/2021
The DMV looks like a minibus and runs on normal rubber tyres on the road.
Last year local Japan train line tested dual-mode minibus for running on road, rail

Source: YouTube

 

 

KAIYO, Tokushima — A dual-mode vehicle (DMV) capable of driving on roads and moving along rail tracks and planned for inclusion on the ASA Seaside Railway, a local line run by a third-sector railway firm in this west Japan prefecture, was tested on the line for the first time on Dec. 15.

To confirm how the public transit vehicle will perform on the track, the DMV was tested on the line between Awa-Kainan Station and Kaifu Station. The vehicle, a minibus, arrived at a special «mode interchange» area set up at Awa-Kainan Station.

There, the driver «mode changed» the DMV over to the train line. Special wheels appeared from the vehicle’s underside, and within around 15 seconds it was ready to travel along the track. To confirm whether there were any issues when in operation, the DMV was also driven slowly around the neighborhood.

Toyoki Ihara, executive director of ASA Seaside Railway Corp. which manages the line, watched on as the test was done, and later said, «I feel reassured that we’ve first confirmed it runs without issues. We very much want people to come and try it.»

It’s hoped the DMV could encourage tourism to the area, as well as help older residents by ensuring they can travel without having to switch over between buses and trains when traveling around. Additionally, because there is currently no company running DMV services, the use of the vehicles on the ASA Seaside Railway could be a world first.

ASA Seaside Railway Corp. intends to have the service running between Awa-Kainan Station and Kannoura Station, in the Kochi Prefecture town of Toyo, within fiscal 2020.( Source: The Mainichi,16/12/2020)

 

Last Updated on 25.12.2021 by iskova