Swiss railway plan to put solar panels on tracks is flawed, UK says

Department for Transport says the idea is ‘interesting’ but lists concerns

The panels would sit between the rails and would be removable (Sun-Ways / YouTube)

A plan to lay solar panels down railway tracks like a carpet to generate electricity appears to have a number of flaws, the UK's Department for Transport has said.

Transport minister Baroness Vere said the idea, set to be trialled in Switzerland, was "interesting" but that it could be needlessly expensive and interfere with safety inspections.

The idea is being championed by Swiss start-up company Sun-Ways, which wants to install the panels near Buttes station in the west of the country, with a view to extending them to other parts of the network.