About us
About us
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ISTrain is a student engineering team from Instituto Superior Técnico — ULisboa, Portugal’s leading engineering school, dedicated to advancing railway technology.
Founded in November of 2024, the mission is to design, develop and build innovative reduced-scale locomotives to compete in the Railway challenge by IMechE in the UK.
Rail is the future of sustainable mobility, and they aim to lead the way. Through hands-on engineering, systems integration, and applied research, they seek to accelerate innovation in the railway sector in Portugal and worldwide
Meet Andorinha !
Meet Andorinha !
ISTrain’s first electric locomotive design, Andorinha- Loco 001, was unveiled on September 19, 2025. The name was chosen honouring Portugal’s oldest steam locomotive.
This 10¼” gauge miniature locomotive is under construction with engineering in mind, aiming to represent Técnico at the IMechE Railway Challenge in June 2026.
Innovation, skill, passion, and ambition come together on the Andorinha !
Our journey with Andorinha so far...
May 2025
Railway summit
June 2025
Designing
Andorinha
September 2025
Design Freeze: Presenting Andorinha
December 2025
Manufacturing of Andorinha
March - 2026
Testing of Andorinha
June - 2026
ImechE railway challenge
Different studies
Different studies
Different nationalities
The Same passion
The Same motivation
One ISTrain
POWERED BY SIEMENS
Sponsors
Every great journey starts with strong partnership
Platinum
Founding sponsors
Gold
Silver
Institutional
The IMechE Railway Challenge
The IMechE Railway Challenge
The IMechE Railway Challenge is an annual competition organised by the Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Student teams from universities, graduates, and apprentices in industry design and build miniature (10¼” gauge) railway locomotives according to strict technical specifications.
Held at Stapleford Miniature Railway, Leicestershire, the competition has been running since 2012.
The goal is to become the first Portuguese university initiative to enter this prestigious competition, showcasing engineering excellence from Instituto Superior Técnico on an international stage.
Join ISTrain
Join ISTrain
Be a part of Técnico's new student movement shaping the future of sustainable railway technology
Work on real engineering challenges, build a prototype locomotive, and contribute to innovation that truly matters.
Join one of ISTrain’s departments:
Structures & Aerodynamics
Powertrain & Energy Systems
Vehicle Dynamics
Electronics & Software
Marketing, Operations & Logistics
Latest news
ISTrain launches the 'Andorinha' electric locomotive for international competition
ISTrain launches the 'Andorinha' electric locomotive for international competition
New student's organisations aims to bring Tecnico closer to the railway sector and challanges student to "innovate in rail transport"
New student's organisations aims to bring Tecnico closer to the railway sector and challanges student to "innovate in rail transport"
22nd of September - 2025
7th of May - 2025
Contacts
Contacts
Av. Rovisco Pais 1
1049-001 Lisboa
Portugal
istrain@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
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