The world’s first operational dual-mode vehicle, essentially a bus capable of running on roads and railway tracks, is set to enter service next month in the Shikoku region, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Asa Seaside Railway Corp. in Tokushima Prefecture said it will roll out the DMV on Dec. 25, having cleared safety checks by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The vehicles will run on a 50-kilometer course connecting the town of Kaiyo in Tokushima and the city of Muroto, Kochi Prefecture, of which 10 km will be on a railway track. Three will be in operatio…