Imagine a vehicle that can pick you up outside your home, drive to the nearest railway line, and change itself into a train. It may sound like a story from "Thomas the Tank Engine, " that's exactly what Japan's DMV Road-Rail buses have been doing since they launched Christmas Day 2021.
With a capacity of 23, the DMV is a diesel-powered (柴油驱动的) bus fitted with a set of retractable (可缩进的) rail wheels can be put in place in about 15 seconds. Lighter than a traditional train, the DMV also consumes less fuel and (be) cheaper to maintain.
(advertise) as "the world's first operational dual-mode vehicle," it is actually the latest in a long series of similar experiments (improve) rural rail services. As far back as the 1930s, similar vehicles the DMV were tested in England and West Germany.
Tokushima government hopes that the DMV buses (become) a tourist draw in their own right. It also believes that the vehicles could also be useful for reaching isolated communities in the event of natural (disaster) such as earthquakes, which can leave sections of roads or railway lines (usable).
