Here's an interesting idea: a relatively practical bus that runs on rails as well.
It's a Bus. It's a Train. It's Both! | Autopia from Wired.comToyota and its truck-making subsidiary Hino Motors have signed on with Japan Rail Hokkaido to develop the vehicles, which carry 25 people and reportedly burn one-fourth the amount of diesel fuel required by conventional buses. Japan Rail started testing them about 18 months ago, and bringing Toyota aboard could speed up development and commercialization of what may be the mass transit vehicle of the future.
Dual-mode vehicles have four rubber tires for road use and four steel wheels for the rails, and it takes less than 15 seconds to go from road to rail and back again. It drives just like a bus on the road, and a hydraulic system raises the tires and lowers the steel wheels as the driver guides the vehicle onto the tracks.
One problem with rail services is that 'final mile'. Practical dual-mode vehicles could be quite a nifty de-Beeching tool, allowing rural communities access to rail, and making rail freight a lot more attractive.
