Editing Railbus (section)

==Usage by country==
===Argentina===
Locally manufactured [[TecnoTren]] railbuses are in use around Argentina, most notably on the [[University train of La Plata]]. They are mostly used in rural parts of the country where the tracks have not yet been repaired and so can't handle the weight of regular trains.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 May 2012 |title=El Tecnotren, el transporte ecológico inventado en Argentina que une pueblos |url=http://alternativa-verde.com/2012/05/04/eltecnotren-el-transporte-ecologico-inventado-en-argentina-que-une-pueblos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518091647/http://www.alternativa-verde.com/2012/05/04/eltecnotren-el-transporte-ecologico-inventado-en-argentina-que-une-pueblos/ |archive-date=18 May 2015 |access-date=12 May 2015 |website=Alternativa Verde |language=es}}</ref>
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===Australia===
In 1937, the NSW Department of Railways added six [[Clyde Engineering|Waddington]]-built four-wheel [[Streamliner|streamlined]] ''[[New South Wales FP Paybuses|FP Paybuses]]'' to serve on small branch lines out of [[Cowra railway station|Cowra]] and [[Harden railway station|Harden]] that did not have enough passengers to justify a [[rail motor]].<ref>Rolling Stock Improvements in New South Wales ''[[The Railway Magazine]]'' May 1939 page 368</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=First Fleet |url=http://www.nswrailheritage.com.au/orhprojects/cashontrack/firstfleet.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513055338/http://www.nswrailheritage.com.au/orhprojects/cashontrack/firstfleet.htm |archive-date=2010-05-13 |access-date=2009-12-11 |website=NSW Rail Heritage}}</ref> Powered by a [[Ford flathead V8 engine|Ford V8]] engine, they were given the designation FP1 to FP6. When the railbus service wasn't popular, several of the buses became mobile pay cars used to pay railway employees at stations and working on tracks.

In December 1941, one of these railbuses (FP 5) was destroyed when dynamite was placed on railway tracks near [[Yanderra railway station|Yanderra]]. The three-man crew of the railbus were killed in the explosion. Though £2,000 of loose cash was taken, the safe in the railcar could not be opened by the robbers. No one was prosecuted for the offence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=4-wheel Paybuses Pack |url=http://coalstonewcastle.railpage.org.au/content/downloads/stock/files/nsw_paybus_readme.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090914155939/http://coalstonewcastle.railpage.org.au/content/downloads/stock/files/nsw_paybus_readme.txt |archive-date=2009-09-14 |access-date=2009-12-11 |website=coalstonewcastle.railpage.org.au |format=TXT}}</ref>

The first railbus, FP1, has been restored where it is on display at the [[NSW Rail Museum]] in [[Thirlmere, New South Wales|Thirlmere]]. Another seven were built by [[Commonwealth Engineering|Comeng]] in the 1960s.<ref>Order for Paybuses ''[[Railway Transportation]]'' April 1967 page 8</ref>

In [[Queensland]], "[[Queensland Rail City network#RailBus|RailBus service]]" refers to road bus service running parallel to portions of some railway lines, substituting for commuter train.

===Czech Republic and Slovakia===
[[File:RailbusAtPrahaHlavníNádražíJuly2011.jpg|thumb|[[České dráhy|ČD]] railbus at Prague, 2011]]
In the [[Czech Republic]] and [[Slovakia]], railbuses are used on [[Regional rail|less frequented rural lines]]. Most railbuses are based on a former [[ČSD Class M 152.0|ČSD M 152.0]] [[diesel multiple unit]], also known as '''ČD/ŽSR Class 810'''.

===Canada===
The [[Kaoham Shuttle]] utilizes DMU railbuses for its daily service between [[Lillooet]] and [[D'Arcy, British Columbia]].
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===Germany===
[[File:Baureihe 798 752-2.jpg|thumb|left|Two-engined [[Uerdingen railbus]] of Deutsche Bundesbahn]]
[[File:Bahnhof Gotha 1991. DR 172 149-7, Piglet taxi departure for Crawinkel (3282306889).jpg|thumb|VT 2.09 of Deutsche Reichsbahn]]

In Germany, the ''Schienenbus'' was developed in the 1930s to fulfill the need for an inexpensive rail vehicle. It was built to standard specifications on Germany's [[Deutsche Reichsbahn|Reichsbahn]] (the predecessor to [[Deutsche Bahn|DB]]) to meet the demand for cost-effective services on [[light railway]]s or ''[[Kleinbahn]]en''  (the [[Wismar railbus]] was a pioneer in those days.) After the [[Second World War]], the eventually ubiquitous [[Uerdingen railbus]]es were developed by [[Deutsche Bundesbahn]] in single-engined and double-engined versions. The latter were powerful enough to haul [[through coach]]es and [[freight car]]s. Matching trailers and driving trailers were developed as well. These railbuses were a predecessor of the modern [[diesel multiple unit]]s. In the late 1950s, [[Deutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany)|Deutsche Reichsbahn]] in the GDR developed the single-engined class [[DR Class VT 2.09|VT 2.09]] with matching trailers and driving trailers, built by Waggonbau Bautzen.

A number of serious accidents in Germany in the late 1970s involving railbuses resulted in the specification and development of larger, more robustly designed diesel [[railcar]]s. Although these cars were more similar in size to the U.S. produced diesel railcars, they would not have complied with current [[Federal Railroad Administration|FRA]] requirements, and, like their North American cousin rail diesel cars, are largely railroad-derivative designs. The [[DB Class 628]] exemplifies the contemporary German diesel railcar. This type of car replaced the ''Schienenbus'' and locomotive-hauled train consists where possible on branch-line and main-line assignments during the 1980s and 1990s. Both the Uerdingen Schienenbus and the Bautzen railbuses have virtually disappeared from regular revenue service, but its diesel rail car successors are still widely used. DMUs of a [[Railcar#New-generation DMU and EMU railcars|third generation]] in succession after the ''Schienenbus'' are now being ordered by the hundreds in a variety of modular design combinations.<ref>{{Citation |title=Supplementing and Updating TCRP Report 52: Joint Operation of Light Rail Transit or Diesel Multiple Unit Vehicles with Railroads |date=September 2001 |url=http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rrd_43.pdf |work=Research Results Digest |issue=43 |page=27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706045238/http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rrd_43.pdf |series=Transit Cooperative Research Program |access-date=2010-05-01 |archive-date=2010-07-06 |url-status=live |via=onlinepubs.trb.org}}</ref> As a curious fact, there is also a [[Bilevel rail car|double-decker]] [[DB Class 670]].<ref>https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1609520956584214 (video, 2:53)</ref><ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hYLiSjBFLE (video, 3:30)</ref>
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=== Hungary ===
[[File:Vasútállomás, Ganz gyártmányú Árpád sorozatú (TAS) sínautóbusz. Fortepan 23230.jpg|thumb|Árpád railbus in 1937]]
The first railbuses appeared in Hungary in 1925, made by [[Ganz Works]]. From 1934, [[Hungarian State Railways|MÁV]] started to use railbuses called Árpád, which were also manufactured by Ganz. These vehicles ran on the Budapest-Vienna line. In 1975, the last Árpád was scrapped.

In 1986, due to the lack of [[ČD Class 810|ČD 810]] trains, [[Ikarus (Hungarian company)|Ikarus]] converted an Ikarus 260 bus into a railbus on behalf of MÁV. This model was called Ikarus 725.<ref name=ikarus>{{cite web |title=Икарус на железнодорожном ходу |url=https://zddoc.ru/ikarus-na-zheleznodorozhnom-hodu/ |website=zddoc.ru |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref> Its variations 725.01, 722.01 and 723.01 were sent to Malaysia in 1988.<ref name=ikarus/>

=== India ===
[[File:Kolar Railbus IndianRailways.jpg|thumb|A railbus near Bangarpet (state: Karnataka) ]]
[[Indian Railways]] operates many railbuses on its branch lines. These railbuses are being replaced by [[Electric multiple unit|EMU]]s due to increase in passengers.

There is railbus on the Kalka-Shimla route (train number 72451), Mathura to Vrindavan (train number 72175)  and Merta Jn to Merta City (train number 74804), Khajjidoni - Bagalkot as well, among others.
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===Indonesia===
[[File:Bus rel Bathara Kresna di Stasiun Wonogiri 2015.jpg|thumb|left|Batara Kresna Railbus]]
Railbuses in [[Indonesia]] are built locally by [[Industri Kereta Api|INKA]] and used in several local rail services operated by [[PT Kereta Api Indonesia]] (KAI).

On August 5, 2012, the first railbus service in the country [[Bathara Kresna Rail Bus|''Batara Kresna'' railbus]] was launched to accommodate parts of ''[[Prambanan Express|Prambanan Ekspres]]'' commuter rail passengers in [[Central Java]] from [[Purwosari railway station|Purwosari Station]] in [[Surakarta|Solo]] to [[Wonogiri railway station|Wonogiri Station]] in [[Wonogiri]] and vice versa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Widjajadi |date=5 August 2012 |title=Railbus Batara Kresna Akhirnya Meluncur |url=http://www.mediaindonesia.com/read/2012/08/05/338520/289/101/Railbus-Batara-Kresna-Akhirnya-Meluncur |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129043547/http://www.mediaindonesia.com/read/2012/08/05/338520/289/101/Railbus-Batara-Kresna-Akhirnya-Meluncur |archive-date=2013-01-29 |website=MediaIndonesia.com |language=id}}</ref>

In 2014, KAI launched ''Kertalaya'' railbus in [[South Sumatra]] between [[Kertapati railway station|Kertapati Station]] in [[Palembang]] to [[Indralaya railway station|Indralaya Station]] in [[Ogan Ilir Regency|Ogan Ilir]] and vice versa to ease road traffic.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 November 2014 |title=26 November, Railbus Kertalaya Kembali Beroperasi |language=id |work=Sriwijaya Post |url=http://palembang.tribunnews.com/2014/11/23/26-november-railbus-kertalaya-kembali-beroperasi |url-status=live |access-date=23 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031332/http://palembang.tribunnews.com/2014/11/23/26-november-railbus-kertalaya-kembali-beroperasi |archive-date=2016-03-05}}</ref>

In 2016, ''Lembah Anai'' railbus was launched in [[West Sumatra]] to serve passengers from [[Kayu Tanam railway station|Kayu Tanam Station]] in [[Padang Pariaman]] to [[Minangkabau International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sekretariat IRPS Pusat |date=23 June 2011 |title=Kunjungan IRPS Sumbar-Riau ke PT INKA Mendampingi Kadishub Sumatra Barat |url=http://www.irps.or.id/kunjungan-irps-sumbar-riau-ke-pt-inka-mendampingi-kadishub-sumatra-barat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319023848/http://irps.or.id/kunjungan-irps-sumbar-riau-ke-pt-inka-mendampingi-kadishub-sumatra-barat/ |archive-date=2020-03-19 |access-date=2016-01-31 |website=Indonesian Railway Preservation Society |language=id}}</ref>

===Ireland===
[[File:Cultra a4.jpg|thumb|right|A Great Northern Railway railbus at the [[Ulster Folk and Transport Museum]], 2014]]
The [[Great Northern Railway of Ireland]] produced railbuses at the Railway Works in [[Dundalk]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 December 2012 |title=Rail Buses Developed at Dundalk GNR Works |url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/lifestyle/rail-buses-developed-at-dundalk-gnr-works-28966762.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322091637/https://www.independent.ie/regionals/argus/lifestyle/rail-buses-developed-at-dundalk-gnr-works-28966762.html |archive-date=2020-03-22 |access-date=2015-08-23 |website=Independent.ie}}</ref>
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[[File:Preservation line railbus of the Donegal Railway Railbus 3 front.jpg|thumb|Donegal Railway large railbus]]

===Japan===
[[File:Nanbu Jukan Railbus.jpg|thumb|left|[[Nanbu Jūkan Railway|Nanbu Jūkan]] Railbus Kiha102Th]]

The president of [[JNR]] visited West Germany in 1953 and was introduced to railbusses there. JNR subsequently drew up a plan for railbus introduction plan in JNR, and a prototype was built in 1955. However, JNR found railbuses less reliable in daily operation as compared to standard rail equipment and discontinued their use in the 1960s.
Railbuses produced by [[Fuji Heavy Industries]] were operational on the [[Nanbu Jūkan Railway]] from 1962 until the line ceased operations in 1997, though the preserved units can still be seen at [[Shichinohe Station]].<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ja:南部縦貫鉄道とは |trans-title=What is the Nanbu Jūkan Railway |url=http://www.ogaemon.com/r-bus/r-bus-sen/r-bus-rekisi.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917214540/http://www.ogaemon.com/r-bus/r-bus-sen/r-bus-rekisi.html |archive-date=17 September 2020 |access-date=20 February 2020 |website=ogaemon.com |language=ja}}</ref>

Motorization soared in Japan from the 1970s on, reducing consuming passenger numbers on local private railways. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. in 1982 began development of an "LE-Car" that incorporates significantly the structure of the bus, deficit local lines of JNR has been adopted by many of the railway company that local governments and private companies are operated by joint investment.

===Mongolia===
The [[Ulaanbaatar Railbus]] is a railbus-based public transit system in the Mongolian capital of [[Ulaanbaatar]].
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===Netherlands===
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[[File:Demonstratie Michelin auto-trein-515297.ogv|thumb|Demonstration of the [[Michelin]] so-called car-train with rubber tires in the Netherlands in 1932]]
In the Netherlands, a Michelin car was trialled in 1932.<ref>{{cite web |title=Demonstratie Michelin auto-trein - Open Beelden |url=https://www.openbeelden.nl/media/149143/Demonstratie_Michelin_auto_trein.tl |website=www.openbeelden.nl |access-date=6 January 2022}}</ref>

=== Peru ===
[[File:PeruRail 291.jpg|thumb|left|A railbus on the [[PeruRail|Ferrocarril Santa Ana]] near [[Machu Picchu]]]]
Railbuses are used on [[PeruRail]].
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===Saudi Arabia and Syria===
[[Syria|Syrian]] railbuses are used in [[Damascus]] from [[Ma'adan]] to [[Sarouja]], and in [[Saudi Arabia]] from [[Riyadh]] to [[Medina]] and [[Mecca]].

===Sri Lanka===
[[File:Rail bus manufacturd by sri lankan railway engineers.jpg|thumb|A railbus at Punani railway station, Sri Lanka]]
Railbuses entered service in Sri Lanka in 1995, using [[Tata Motors|Tata]] Dimo buses, and later [[Ashok Leyland|Lanka Ashok Leyland]] buses. The buses, originally built for road use, were modified to be used on rails and connected back-to-back like a [[DMUs|DMU]]. Railbuses are used in various areas with little passenger demand, including from [[Kandy]] to the suburb of [[Peradeniya]] and the [[Kelani Valley line]] in [[Colombo]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-10 |title=Story of Rail Buses in Sri Lanka |url=https://slrailwayforum.com/rail-buses-in-sri-lanka/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Sri Lanka Railway Forum |language=en}}</ref> Services where railbuses are used are not indicated on the Sri Lankan Railways website. The route from [[Maho, Sri Lanka|Maho]] Junction to [[Polgahawela railway station|Polghawela]] in [[North Western Province, Sri Lanka|North Western Province]] is also serviced by Lanka Ashok Leyland railbuses.<ref>{{Citation |title=The CRAZY jungle train you've probably never heard of... | date=7 February 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsMNcSzsJac |access-date=2024-02-22 |language=en}}</ref>
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===United Kingdom===
{{Main|British Rail railbuses}}
[[File:Railbus 79964 at York Railfest.JPG|thumb|left|Preserved [[Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth railbus|British Rail railbus]] built by [[:de:Waggon- und Maschinenbau GmbH Donauwörth|Waggon und Maschinenbau]]]]
[[British Rail]] produced a variety of railbuses as a means both of building new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide services on lightly used lines economically.

A variety of railbus known as [[Pacer (train)|Pacers]], which were constructed in the 1980s, remained in service until 2021,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 June 2021 |title=Last Ever Pacer Train Squeaks to a Halt in Wales – After Equivalent of Five Trips to the Moon and Back |url=https://nation.cymru/news/last-ever-pacer-train-squeaks-to-a-halt-in-wales-after-equivalent-of-five-trips-to-the-moon-and-back/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822063225/https://nation.cymru/news/last-ever-pacer-train-squeaks-to-a-halt-in-wales-after-equivalent-of-five-trips-to-the-moon-and-back/ |archive-date=2021-08-22 |access-date=2021-08-22 |website=Nation.Cymru}}</ref> they were phased out as a result of their failure to comply with accessibility requirements.

===United States===
[[File:GallopingGoose1952.jpg|thumb|right|[[Rio Grande Southern]] [[Galloping Goose (railcar)|Galloping Goose]] railbus built on a luxury car chassis]]
[[File:NCNGRM Rail bus.jpg|thumb|A railbus in operation in 2025 at the [[Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum]]]]
There are records of bus bodies being fitted to special [[Mack Trucks|Mack Truck]] chassis built with small four-wheel bogie trucks under the engine and hood, and larger flanged steel drive wheels, as early as 1903. [[Osgood Bradley Car Company]] built one of the more popular bodies during the 1920s. [[Fairbanks-Morse]], later a locomotive builder, offered similar conversions fitted to [[Dodge]] truck chassis in the mid-1930s, preferring to fit the truck chassis with van bodies and supply a small matching passenger coach trailer. Some railroads built their own bodies on truck or large, powerful luxury passenger car chassis. Most continued the pattern of a small two axle truck in front, and a single drive axle in the rear. One example from the 1930s, built on a [[White Motor Company|White Truck]] chassis, is preserved at the [[National Museum of Transportation]] in [[Kirkwood, Missouri]].

The use of railbuses in the United States allowed railroads in the 1920s to run frequent and reliable passenger service on branch lines for a fraction of the cost of running steam locomotives, allowing some lines to directly compete with road transportation. The railbuses were well-liked by passengers and able to stop and start more easily than dedicated trains.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 21, 1923 |title=Railroads Are Turning More to Gas Motors |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwZTAAAAIBAJ&dq=Narragansett+Pier+Railroad&pg=PA24&article_id=6849,3041324 |work=The Morning Leader |location=Regina, Saskatchewan |page=24}}</ref>

After World War II a number of more modern light train concepts appeared. Few were successful, as many railroads cooperated with highway bus services to eliminate passenger trains from their branch lines. Some, like the [[American Car & Foundry]] Motorailer, blurred the line between [[railcar]] and railbus. Others, such as the Mack FCD, landed firmly in the railbus camp. Ten of the Macks were purchased by the [[New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad]] during 1951–1952. By the time they were delivered, however, a new president was in charge, and he had little interest in serving branch lines. Only one saw regular service. All were sold to other entities such as [[Sperry Rail Service]], or to overseas railroads.

In 1967 and 1968, Red Arrow Lines tested a [[GM New Look bus]] converted to operate on rails on its interurban routes and the [[Norristown High Speed Line]].<ref>"This bus rides rail or highway with equal ease". ''[[Railway Age]]'', 6 November 1967 page 26</ref>

In 1985, [[SEPTA]] tested an imported [[British Rail railbuses|BRE-Leyland railbus]] on the now-closed [[Fox Chase station|Fox Chase]] to [[Newtown station (SEPTA)|Newton]] section of the [[Fox Chase Line]].