Dual Mode trains in Japan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11.22.06
Rails carry more people more quickly than roads, particularly in rush hour. Unfortunately our modern low-density suburban development is not necessarily built around rail corridors, and people hate transferring from buses to trains. In Japan, the Hokkaido Railway Company has introduced a DMV (Dual Mode Vehicle) which can run on roads like a bus in low density areas (they are doing it because of declining populations in Hokkaido) and then on rails in more developed areas. ::Japanrail News
we quote Japan Railways:
In the year 2000, Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) began developing a prototype DMV (Dual Mode Vehicle) ‘minibus’ that will carry 25 passengers and can operate as a train, running on tracks with steel and rubber wheels, as well as a bus, driving on roads with conventional tires. Now nearing completion this remarkable hybrid will be able to take advantage of existing rail track through more developed areas and then shift to roadways for operation in less-densely populated areas. Overcoming the main obstacle to this kind of service it can change from one type of wheels to the other in 10 to 15 seconds!
The first DMV service is scheduled to begin by April of 2007. Although the ultimate goal of the DMV is transport in rural areas, the first application will be on a tourist route traveling round trip from Hamako-Shimizu to Mokoto along the Senmo Main Line on the northeast coast near Abashiri. During this trial period the DMV will go one way on track (11 km) and then return by meandering roads as a bus (21 km). The success of the DMV will be of great benefit to both JR Hokkaido and the declining rural population of the island. At present one third of JR Hokkaido’s routes are unprofitable, carrying less than 500 passengers a day. DMV service may save many thousands of residents from losing their rail transit while providing them with even more convenient ‘door to door’ service. And how do you say Dual Mode Vehicle in Japanese? It’s not too hard: Dyuaru Modo Biikuru!
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That really has the potential of filling the public transporation gap in sprawling mid-west cities where urbran sprawl and suburbs spread people all over the country-side. Now if it was a hybrid vehicle, it would really get high marks!
No new technology, but an interesting application. I wonder how energy efficient it is in either mode. It's heavy for a bus dragging along wheels of steel), and it's not able to use electricity on rails, is it?
If they could make the propulsion system hybrid as well, with an option to tap into an electrified railway track system, it might be very useful in densely populated areas as well.
I would like to see how heavy the rail equipment is, and how that would affect the gas mileage whilst driving.
Busy railways have little capacity to spare. Trains must operate with something like a mile space between each train in order to stop safely without crashing into each other.
So, I wonder if this can actually be used in areas with active railroads, but then again there are plenty of other places with practically abandoned railroads.
Adelaide, Australia has a smiliar system, where the bus runs around in the suburbs, then gets on a 'special' track and shoots down the track into the urban area. The Australian version is pretty dumb and useless, but you can check it out here. They call it the 'O-Bahn' .. please.
That really has the potential of filling the public transporation gap in sprawling mid-west cities where urbran sprawl and suburbs spread people all over the country-side.
A lot of old railways have been torn up and converted to bike trails.
Wouldn't something like the Orange Line in LA make more sense? (It uses conventional busses on a dedicated busway.)
http://www.mta.net/projects_programs/orangeline/images/ol_interactive.htm
Not if there was existing rail to be used. Why contruct all the roads for a bus?
The article noted that they are looking at using this in areas of declining pop. where running full size trains is unprofitable. I would imagine that a hybrid electric drive system could be used if it was to run on an electric rail line.
Note: not all of Japan's rail ways are electrified. I have run into people on the internet who talk like Europe and Japan are all electic railways but this is not so. Wikipedia has good rail transport info including the number of miles of electric and non-electic rails by country. In many areas they use light weight self powered DMU (diesel multiple unit) trains instead of heavy locomotives pulling and powering a train. These have a big advantage as the cars are each self powered and can be controled from one drivers cab. As you add cars you add the needed power right along with it. There's still a few RDC (rail diesel car) trains in NA but not too many. Sorry I'm a total rail nerd so I find this stuff cool.
Why contruct all the roads for a bus?
Look up "bus rapid transit" and find out.
This would work well in rural Vermont, there are main rail corridors north & south on both sides of the state as well as from Burlington to White River Junction across the state diagonally. Very low density population, with adequate travel needs. Cool idea!
Joe it would be nice but FRA (federal railroad administration) regs wouldn't allow it. One problem with rail in NA is passenger trains that share lines with freight trains must be of a heavy rail design. Even the Amtrak Acela ended up being heavier and thus less efficent than the European designs it was based on due to crash regs because it shares part of it's route with freight trains. Elsewhere in the US Amtrak's Talgo cars (built in Europe) force it to use a locomotive at each end of of the train for protection. OK turning off rail nerd mode.
Mmm. And the benefit over road is?
Plus, it's a group transport vehicle which means stop/start journeys, schedules, waiting, poor performance.
A much better technology is:
http://www.atsltd.co.uk/ or http://www.taxi2000.com/
http://www.personalrapidtransit.com/
On demand, fully electric, point to point with no stops, it's faster than the car, more convenient than current public transport and cheaper to install than a road.
The train-bus has started running now. It looks good
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/japanese-train-bus-hybrid-%e3%83%87%e3%83%a5%e3%82%a2%e3%83%ab%e3%83%a2%e3%83%bc%e3%83%89%e3%83%93%e3%83%bc%e3%82%af%e3%83%ab-starts-in-hokkaido/