Tokyo: This is a bus, this is a train, this is DMV! The world’s first double vehicle in the world, both at home on the road and the train, is set to make a public debut on Saturday in Kaioo in Tokushima Japan Prefecture.
DMV looks like a minibus and runs on normal rubber tires on the road.
But when it arrives at the intersection, the steel wheels come down from the lower abdomen to the railway line, effectively turning it into a train train.
The train wheel raised the front tire from the trajectory while the rear wheels remained down to push the DMV to the train.
CEO of ASA beach train company, which operates DMV, said vehicles can help small cities such as Kaiyo with aging and shrinking populations, where local transportation companies struggle to get profit.
“This (DMV) can reach the locals (as a bus), and bring it to the train too,” said CEO Shigeki Miura told Reuters on Friday.
“Especially in rural areas with aging populations, we hope it will be a very good form of public transportation.” The rubber tire parts and train wheels ‘dual-mode vehicles (DMV)’ that can run good on conventional road surfaces and DMV train tracks can carry up to 21 passengers and run at a speed of 60 km / h (37) mph) on the train line API and can run as fast as 100 km / h (62 mph) on public roads, said Asa Coast Railway.
Supported by diesel fuel, small vehicle fleets, which come in different colors, will run along the shikoku island coast in South Japan, connect several small cities and offer attractive beach views.
Miura said he hoped the project would encourage train fans from all over Japan to visit.