Rail-Road Vehicle, DMV, Receives Good Design Award

Copyright Hokkaido Railway Company

The dual mode vehicle (DMV) developed by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) was selected for "The 2008 Good Design Sustainable Design Award" of The Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization (JIDPO) on October 8, 2008. The DMV is a vehicle capable of running on both roads and rails. JR Hokkaido succeeded in developing this vehicle in 2004, and began trial services in April 2007.

The DMV is designed based on a microbus. When compared with conventional trains, the use of this vehicle can cut costs with regard to purchasing, fuel and maintenance, and ensures energy-saving operations. It is possible to reduce the size and weight of the car body in accordance with transportation volume. In addition, it takes only about 15 seconds for the vehicle to change from roads to rails (or vice versa) with passengers onboard. Therefore, large-scale infrastructure is not necessary because the vehicle can use existing roads and rails.

The DMV drives on the road like an ordinary bus with front and rear rubber tires. It runs on the rails with steel wheels called "guide wheels" and driving rear tire (inner wheel). The guide wheels, which are stored in the front and rear parts of the car body, come down for positioning on the track when the vehicle change from road to rail mode. As a technology for practical use, the hydraulic control system was adopted to distribute the rear axle weight to both the driving rear tire and the rear guide wheels at an optimal ratio. This system prevents tire wear and improves running stability.

About seventy five years ago, countries such as Great Britain and Germany tried to develop DMV-type vehicles, but no one was able to make the design practical. Now, local public transport services in Japan are facing worsening business conditions, resulting from a decline in passengers because of the recent motorization as well as declining birthrates and the aging of rural communities. The features of the DMV, such as low operational costs, energy conservation and convenience, are expected to help these regional transport services reorganize to tailor routes and services to the communities they serve.

- Hokkaido Railway Company
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html
- 2008 Good Design Sustainable Design Award
http://www.g-mark.org/english/archive/
2008/award-sustainable.html
- JR Hokkaido to Start Trial Service of Dual Mode Vehicle in April 2007 (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/026499.html

Posted: 2008/12/03 06:23:01 AM