ISTrain, a newly established students’ organisation at Instituto Superior Técnico, aims to bridge the gap between academia and the railway sector, encouraging students to innovate in railway technology. This project seeks to involve students from various engineering disciplines in a common challenge: promoting sustainable mobility and equipping future engineers with skills relevant to the railway industry.
ISTrain was inspired by a challenge from Hugo Magalhães, a professor at Técnico, who encouraged a group of students to represent the school at the IMechE Railway Challenge, an annual UK competition focused on innovation in the railway sector. “ISTrain offers a unique opportunity for Técnico students to develop the knowledge and skills needed for an international competition, which are highly valued in the job market”, emphasises Hugo Magalhães.
A primary goal of ISTrain is to develop a prototype locomotive for the competition. The team is currently seeking a facility to begin production, noting that “the need for scale rails for testing has proven to be one of the main logistical challenges”.
On its official website, the ISTrain team states, “the future of sustainable mobility lies on rails, and innovation in Portugal and worldwide starts in universities. Through their initiatives, students seek to complement academic training with practical experience in railway systems”.
To strengthen the link between the academic community and the railway sector, ISTrain is organising an open day in September to showcase the work accomplished so far. This event will include talks and participation from partner companies, with the entire community invited to attend the project presentation.
ISTrain is also involved in the multidisciplinary CAPSTONE Helianto project, which encompasses nine master’s degree subjects with the shared goal of developing a solar-powered train. CAPSTONE projects are master’s dissertations promoted by Técnico, focused on solving real challenges proposed by companies, institutions, or students’ organisations.
Additionally, one of the team’s objectives is “to raise the university’s profile in the railway and transport sectors, not just for the knowledge generated but also for winning awards”.
