Kerb guided trolleybus & tram at Essen's Berliner Platz station More information on the 'dual-mode-bus' demonstration system which saw buses sharing part of the underground light rail system can be found here citytransport.info/OBahn.htm
Now that's what you call a leading solution. Germany must be hailed here for trying many modern transport systems - not all of them make full sense, but no other country has the courage to go and try them. I'll be happy to live in Bonn in June/July and chech out the local transport system.
I like how the boarding doors are away from the driver. Hopefully the drivers have their own compartment too, so they can focus on driving and not answering questions from riders, etc.
two different technologies. 1) guided 2) duo (electricity & diesel) Both are used in other cities. But only in Essen they used both on the same buses, in the same city. Simon
@stakeee Yes they do - they have guide wheels which guides the bus along the tracks. Basically when the bus is on tracks - there is no need for the bus driver to use the steering wheel - the only thing he will do is control the speed and brake.
special tracks for buses, which here they used to share with trams... elsewhere in Essen the buses still use their special tracks, which in German is known as O-Nahn, and the buses as 'spurbus'. Simon
@K64JT Same as the tram (streetcar) - except as the buses have rubber tyres (tires)special systems were installed to detect the buses. There is more information on the webpage... youtube wont let me add a link to my reply but the url is in the main video text.. Simon
@fkfj16 from memory I filmed this in 1995. Buses no longer use the tunnels; primarily because the 'dual-mode-bus' project was terminated after German reunification and therefore when the experimental wooden bus trackage needed replacement (it wore out) there was no money to do so. Simon
It would be nice to have our own compartment when driving but it doesn't look like this bus does have that. Also, it looks like there is a set of doors on the other side of the bus at the front for right hand curb loading.
Fabulous idea!!! Would love to see Green Line in Boston incorporated with this technology. Possibly a politically feasible way of bringing back Watertown, Arborway, and other lines using this idea. Too bad it's no longer running in Essen. Anywhere else in the world (German-speaking, I'd imagine) where this type of system is being seriously proposed?
Wenn der Bus nicht wär, könnte das Video gestern entstanden sein. Der Bahnhof sieht noch genau so aus und solche alten Bahnen sind auch noch im Einsatz...
The buses use the special bus-tracks as it creates a bus-only road totally independant of other traffic. If you go to Kray you will travel on more bus-track. Also see my message below. Simon
the new LRV's in Essen are low floor... and the diesel buses in Seattle may be hybrids but their diesel engines are used underground and therefore emit harmful pollutants which make people ill. Simon
das ist auch ein bus. nennt sich trolleybus. der bus konnte mit dieselmotor und mit strom fahren. er hatte auch führungsrollen an den rädern. so war er im tunnel sowas ähnliches wie ein schienenfahrzeug.
Da steigt mir gerade die Nostalgie bis zum Hals :) Mit dem CE45 bin ich früher täglich zur Schule gefahren. Kann mir irgendein Sachkundiger sagen,wieso man dieses System mit dem unterirdischen Busse aufgegeben hat?Was waren die Beweggründe?
It makes sense, really. If you can build a transit tunnel to support 2 different vehicle types in a Downtown zone, it would make taking buses in and out of cities easier, and prevent buses from sitting in traffic.
A bus fleet that can coexist with light rail subway, and inexpensive suspended monorails -- two perfectly good ideas from Germany that are unfortunately 'far too logical' to bring here to the USA -- perhaps if the rails looked like bright & shiny laser beams or something ...
