Mahn for Britain?
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THE DEPARTMENT of Transport is beginning to take a closer interest in the road/rail O-Bahn experiment now taking place in West Germany, reports our Parliamentary correspondent.
So far Ministers and officials have studied the project being carried out by Mercedes-Benz in Essen (CM, June 19, 1982) at arms' length but the enthusiasm of some MPs has sparked interest among Ministers who have asked for more information about the possible potential and implications for Britain.
The essence of the system is that specially-adapted buses could run on both road and the railways, although the rail tracks would also have to be modified. The bus runs on normal rubber tyres but it also has small wheels which can be retracted, on each side front and back for use on the railways.
There it would run on a special concrete track, and like trains it would not require steering, which means that tunnels and narrow viaducts could be used. Power could be picked up either from the track or overhead.
As the bus could easily leave the track there would be no need for special stations, although building suitable link points could be a small problem.
The concept also ties in neatly with the proposals in the Serpell Report for substituting guaranteed bus services for heavy loss making rail routes. Its supporters point out that people are highly suspicious of proposals for conventional rail-replacement buses following on the failure to maintain post Beeching services 20 years ago. But if a special concrete track had to be laid, people would realise that it would be permanent.
The idea does not involve particularly high technology and it would be easy for British manufacturers to become involved.
Although Ministers are a long way from taking any decisions even about an experiment, the Transport and Road Research Laboratory could well be asked to do some work on it.
It is seen as being particularly suited to serving scattered communities, or linking suburbs with rural areas. But its use on lightlyused lines in London is also a possibility, according to supporters of the idea.