World's 1st operational bus-train dual-mode vehicle to start service in Shikoku

Japantoday, best pie in the sky idea

No jokers on the bus either please

I Love it. Dec 25th too. Would make the perfect 'Christmas Day' present. I'l have to talk to the Bank manager.

@ R.T.

So, what is the motivation behind this thing? Seems like a big hustle and extra cost with no critical advantages.

Reread paragraphs 5,6 and 7. This states their thinking.

Four wheel drive would also really be beneficial during disaster but will add wait to such vehicles

- “The vehicles may also be useful in natural disasters such as earthquakes, which may leave sections of roads or railway tracks unusable.” -

Seems kind of useless aside from the novelty factor. I prefer the hybrid bus-boats in the shape of ducks but, hey, I'm just a child on the inside!

German-American physicist-engineer Dr Emmett Lathrop Braun, Ph.D was one of the first visionaries to pioneer work on such vehicles as far back as 1885. Unfortunately, an early prototype was believed complete destroyed in a rail accident along with a heavier locomotive the same year.

Lighter buses were also later converted to operate on rail lines in Telluride, Colo., U.S.A.

23 passengers and a crew of how many ?

I could see this vehicle being more useful in emergency situations like quarantine transportation or hazardous materials

In USA our railroads use dual mode vehicles to inspect tracks and right-of-way roads.

Reminds me a bit of that transport system in San Francisco.

I have seen this dual system on small railroad construction trucks here in Japan, and I thought Very Cleaver, but did not expect to see a small and CUTE BUS, LOL

Cool, but what exactly here is the world’s first?

World's 1st

Japan Inc. obsesses over 世界初 without seemingly asking why no-one else has wanted it.

hopes the DMV will become a tourist draw and help boost the local economy

Economy again - to legitimise 'stupid'.

Just when all eyes should be on efficiency of energy use and quickly phasing out fossil fuels we have a diesel bus with 100s of kgs of extra weight of the track wheels bolted to it's undercarriage.

The tech has been around for many decades, used on maintenance and inspection vehicles owned by railroad operators. What is more interesting to me at least is the regulatory environment for one of these. It will have to be both road legal and meet standards for passenger rail transportation. The driver will have to be dual qualified, a commercial license with passenger endorsement and air brakes (in the US at least) and be a qualified railroad engineer. I wonder if the vehicle will require a conductor for rail operations?

Still looks like a joke, of course, but I would even recommend a further development of that idea everywhere as a steady part of future logistics concepts, because it’s very good and cost effective for long ways but also covers the ‘last mile’ in only one dual mode vehicle.

Waste of money. I'd rather ride a train or a bus, or rather pay a taxi fare than riding on that thing. Looks unsafe af.

It might be a very good idea. Time will tell. In the meantime, an A+ for thinking outside the box.

Just wait until they turn it into the “catbus” from Ghibli’s Totoro!

Pie in the sky = instabai

They have been shutting down and abandoning the smaller train lines servicing more rural areas. With lower ridership it probably isn't cost affective to attend smaller stations and maintain the tracks, so a "bus" like this could pick up extremely rural passengers and then just drive on to a train tracks that are still in use and maintained.

And like they say:

The DMV is lighter than a traditional train, which, according to the company, means it requires less fuel and is easier to maintain.

I'm just guessing.

Perhaps your thinking of Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ARRT) @zichi 8:03pm ? Austria and China have such designs in motion:

https://www.zatran.com/en/technology/bus-tram-art/

http://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201907/16/WS5d2d4057a3105895c2e7dab7.html

-@zichi 8:03pm: “They could build a bus looking like a train. That would be a lot more fun and more comfortable.”

And, some blogger spotted this in Osaka:

http://tripsandtraps.blogspot.com/search/label/Thomas%20the%20Tank%20Engine

That will be most uncomfortable. The front of the bus is raised by the lowering of the rail wheels, but the bus is still powered by the rear wheel touching the ground and riding over the track sleepers. The speed will also be very slow.

No Zichi, the rear wheels rest on the rails and drive the vehicle that way. It is hard to see in the photo but the innermost pair of rear tires sit on the tracks. They are fast too, at least the railroad owned dual-mode vehicles I have seen scooting down rail lines in our region.

https://www.customtruck.com/hi-rail-trucks-101-dual-mode-vehicles-keeping-the-railway-industry-on-track/