Hello Partners!

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer BUT it is not the end of the travel season. While we are considering air travel, cruises, or even hopping in the car and going for a fun road trip, solar trains may, one day soon, have us reconsidering our travel plans.

The very first completely solar-powered train was built in Australia in a beachside resort in New South Wales called Byron Bay in 2017. It officially launched in January 2018 and was made from recycled materials. They refurbished an old locomotive that had been abandoned. The train has solar panels in the roof of each of the cars which charge the train’s batteries while the train is in use. The train also has a charging shed which has been outfitted with solar panels which charge the train when the weather is not favorable. The train runs its 1.8-mile route around the resort about 4-5 times each day.

The Bryon Bay train is a very small-scale example of this concept. It serves to transport people to different attractions around the Byron Bay resort area. It is also an attraction for tourists as it is extremely popular. However small, it is a blueprint for the potential for environmentally responsible travel. There are now similar but larger scale projects underway in the UK and in India.

Already operating in the UK is a solar-powered rail line. This means that the signaling and the lights along the railway are being powered by an array of solar panels near Aldershot in Hampshire. Many see these activities as a precursor to additional solar operations in the railway industry. Granted, railway is one of the most sustainable methods of transportation already. However, it is not completely emission-free and with local governments under increasing pressure to reduce emissions, it seems everything is on the table.

We haven’t reached the point where widescale networks of trains are being converted to solar. However, the beginnings of this movement are exciting!

The savings never stop!

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Sources:
https://www.bridgestone.com/bwsc/stories/article/2019/06/17-2.html\
https://www.railway-technology.com/features/solar-powered-trains/
https://www.engadget.com/2019-08-23-solar-power-rail-line-uk-renewable.html