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Where rubber meets the rails
By Dave Demerjian
Wired, June 2007
Finally, technology has found a solution to the bloody bus versus train commuter wars. Built in Japan by JR Hokkaido, this so-called dual-mode vehicle rides on rubber tires until it reaches a designated rail line. And then—bam!—steel wheels drop from the undercarriage, the front tires lift up, and the rig is ready to roll on tracks (the transformation takes about 10 seconds). The Japanese regional railroad is testing three of these 25-passenger hybrids on a tourist line in northeastern Japan. They cost less to maintain and fuel than a conventional train, and, in theory, they’re perfect for areas where declining populations have turned rail lines into money losers.
