Japan Outdoes Everyone Again With Its Trains That Also Run On Roads

The last time I got a train here in America, it left me angry and uncomfortable for four hours as we covered a trip that would take half the time to drive. That’s not how trains should be. If you want to know how trains should really operate and perform, then you should look to Japan, which has pretty much perfected the formula to a point where it’s even turning other vehicles into trains.

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Right now, the country has a rail network that runs buses that can operate on roads and traditional train tracks. It’s amazing. The bonkers new creation was brought to our attention by YouTuber Tom Scott, who has a knack for uncovering wild public transit solutions around the world.

The particular bus we’re going to talk about is based in Shikoku, Japan, where it runs on the Asa Coast Railway. It’s a neat-looking creation, and takes a similar form to a classic American school bus when it’s out on the road – namely a boxy design with a hood that protrudes a bit like a snout up front. At first, all you see is the regular bus wheels at each corner.

In this form, the DMV, which stands for Dual Mode Vehicle, can drive around town, stopping at bus stops to pick up passengers as a regular bus would. But, when it reaches a train station, that’s when the magic starts to happen.

This bus transforms into a train

When positioned over the tracks, a set of train wheels folds down at the front, lifting the nose of the bus off the ground and taking the front tires up with it. A second set of train wheels also folds down at the rear, while the back tires remain in contact with the rails to power the trus (train/bus hybrid) forward. The transition takes just 15 seconds to complete, Scott explains.

Then, the DMV is free to travel across an elevated railroad, which operators say would keep it away from the waterline if a tsunami ever hit the area – offering a vital means of getting in and out in such a disaster.

Interestingly, only people with both a bus driving license and a train operators qualification are able to drive the DMV, which doesn’t require the use of a steering wheel when it’s in train mode.

While the whole setup is quite interesting and seems like a brilliant solution to common public transportation problems, Scott is keen to point out that it isn’t actually the most practical solution to the transit problems the region faces. It could have installed dedicated bus lanes in place of train tracks, or it could have just offered a shuttle bus service between train stations.

However, organizers claim that having a smaller, single vehicle cuts operating costs over running a longer train on its railways. On top of that, given the chance of riding a train and a bus or taking a trip on a trus, I know which one I’d rather take to get somewhere.