The world’s first dual-mode vehicle (DMV), which can travel both on highways and railroad tracks, made its public debut in Kaiyo, Japan.
The DMV runs on traditional rubber tires on the road, but also has steel wheels that allow it to easily switch from asphalt to railway tracks, turning the vehicle from a minibus into a train carriage, according to a media report.
The vehicle is operated by Asa Coast Railway Company, which sees it as a way to help small provincial towns like Kaiyo, where local transportation firms are struggling to make ends meet. “This [vehicle] can reach the locals [as a bus], and carry them onto the railway as well. —TLTP
