A different type of rail system, designed to straddle traffic on existing dual carriageways has taken its first 300 metre run in the Hebei province of the People’s Republic of China causing a stir with the locals says the BBC.
According to the BBC, the electrically-powered Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) is two metres in height allowing it to straddle vehicular traffic underneath, which allows those vehicles to move freely when the TEB is at rest.
Each TEB unit is 7-metres wide and 21-metres in length with a passenger capacity of 300 people.
The BBC reports the trial run took place on a 300m-long controlled track in the north-eastern city of Qinhuangdao.
It says the vehicle is expected to reach speeds of up to 60km per hour, running on rails laid along ordinary roads. Up to four TEBs can be linked together.
The BBC says the project’s chief engineer, Song Youzhou, told state-media agency Xinhua earlier this year that the TEB greatest advantage is saving lots of road space.
It says another engineer Bai Zhiming said to Chinese news company CCTV that the TEB has the same functions as the subway, while its cost of construction is less than one-fifth of the subway.
The BBC reports that one TEB could replace up to 40 conventional diesel city buses, according to its creator, but it is unclear when and how the vehicle will be more widely used in Chinese cities.
