Recent Comment
Share
These Japanese buses are definitely hybrids, but it has nothing to do
with their power. These things are bus-train hybrids. The vehicles are
designed to run on the roads in less dense areas (where there are
no train lines, but also not much traffic) and then easily pull onto a
train line, pop down it's metal wheels and speed down the rails during
rush-hour traffic in high-density areas.
The design allows for economical and speedy mass transit in a country that sorely needs it. The Bus-Train will be hitting the rails in 2007, servicing a tourist route. But the JR Hokkaido hopes to use them mainly to bring mass-transit into rural areas.
Via TreeHugger
Hits: 16372
Comments (2)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Write comment
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
I prefer the obahn technology. The tracks aren't dual purpose like using old train tracks, but they look better and are more flexible than trains. We've had one here in Adelaide for 20 years. It's a much more pleasent ride than a noisy rumbling train and can take you door to door. Also the buses can run on whatever enviro-friendly fuel you want.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-Bahn_Busway