Sydney Morning Herald, 15 December 2006 wrote:
A dual-mode vehicle, or a type of rail-cum-road car being developed by JR Hokkaido has been drawing intense attention of small rail operators across Japan as a possible solution to lowering the operating cost of local lines.
The vehicle, which is based on a microbus, runs both on roads and railroads by switching between rubber tyres and steel wheels.
Its biggest attraction is its ease of use - it automatically switches from rail to road mode at stations, in addition to its low purchasing cost at about Y20 million ($A217,000) each, about one-seventh of a diesel-powered rail car.
Its fuel cost is about a quarter of a diesel vehicle, and maintenance cost about one-eighth.
Since JR Hokkaido unveiled a test model in late January 2004, it has received over 400 inquiries and about 4,000 test riders. The Shizuoka Prefecture city of Fuji, which is keen on introducing the vehicle, conducted a first test run outside Hokkaido in late November.
JR Hokkaido began developing the vehicle in 2002 to cut the operating cost of local lines that have the daily ridership of fewer than 500 people, which consist about 30 per cent of its total lines.
"I'm glad the vehicle has drawn the attention of municipalities worried about local lines. We hope that they will use the vehicle as the carrier of community residents," said JR Hokkaido Vice President Hirohiko Kakinuma, who came up with the idea of developing the vehicle.
JR Hokkaido plans to commercially operate the vehicle on a test basis in parts of the Semmo Line near Shiretoko next April.
), given that this has been 4 years in the making, but I couldn't find it - thanks uncle Taro.
Nice.. Thanks!
