The world’s first ‘solar train’ has been officially launched on a disused line in Australia, linking the coastal town of Byron Bay in New South Wales with nearby North Beach.

The train is fitted with about 6.5kW of solar panels (the main platform has another 30kW of panels), plus 77kWh of battery storage; it will only need around 4kWh of power for each one-way trip, and it will have the opportunity to charge up on a number of occasions during the day.

There is a diesel engine that can be used in an emergency.