It’s a bus, it’s a train, it’s a DMV! The world’s first “dual-mode” vehicle, road and rail, had its public debut this weekend, in the city of Kaiyo, in the Japanese prefecture of Tokushima.
The DMV looks like a minibus and runs on regular rubber tires on the road. But when it comes to an interchange, steel wheels descend from the underside of the vehicle onto the tracks, effectively turning it into a train car.
The train wheels lift the front tires off the tracks, while the rear wheels remain down to propel the DMV onto the rail.
The CEO of Asa Coast Railway, 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.
“DMV can reach places (like a bus) and take them to the railroad too,” CEO Shigeki Miura told Reuters on Friday. “Especially in rural areas with an aging population, we hope it will be a very good means of public transport.”
The DMV can carry up to 21 passengers and operates at a speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) on rail and can reach about 100 km/h (62 mph) on public roads, said Asa Coast Railway.
Powered by diesel, the small fleet of vehicles, which come in different colors, will travel part of the coast of Shikoku Island in southern Japan, connecting several small towns and offering passengers an attractive seaside setting.
Miura said he hopes the project will encourage railroad fans across Japan to visit the project.
This content was originally created in English.
original version
Reference: CNN Brasil
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