One small step for a short railway line, but perhaps a giant step for environment-friendly railroads, as the UK has gone live with a solar-powered test rail line that could lead to solar-powered trains.
The line, in Aldershot in Southeast England, uses an array of solar panels to supply signalling and lighting along the line and its stations. Data from the project, which is sponsored by the 10:10 environment activist group, the local power company and Network Rail, which operates the UK’s rail infrastructure, will be analyzed by University of Birmingham engineers.
The project’s long-term goal is not only to power the rails and signals, but also eventually the trains themselves.
