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The early-career engineers presented their involvement in the technical projects in the grand final of the 2025 Future of Rail presentation competition, held at IMechE headquarters in Birdcage Walk, Westminster, on 8 May.
Regional finalists from companies including Alstom, Angel Trains and WSP were judged on the quality of the presentations, the technical content and their specific involvement in the work.
In a nail-biting conclusion to the closely-fought contest, the winner and runner up were separated by just half a point. South West regional winner Aamina Shah from Angel Trains ultimately won with her presentation titled “Hot or not? The use of thermal cameras in third rail monitoring”, which focused on her work using front-mounted sensors to spot defects.
Shah came out on top thanks to the quality of her presentation and her engagement in the work, said event chair Ellie Smith, vice-chair of the Railway Division’s Young Members’ Committee, to Professional Engineering.
“The thing that tipped it was answering the questions,” she said. “Other people would have mentors in the audience and perhaps would call to them, but she was answering the questions of her own accord. It was quite clear that it was her project.”
Taking part in the competition was “an incredibly rewarding experience”, Shah said, building her confidence speaking about technical subjects to large audiences. “The skill of being able to condense a vast project into a concise presentation, and answer a broad range of questions on the topic, will be particularly advantageous moving forward in my career.”
She added: “Presenting in meetings is different to this more lecture-style approach, and it is a beneficial skill to hone. The regional heats are a friendly and encouraging way to start the competition, and I would encourage anyone wishing to broaden their presenting skills to apply. It’s a great accomplishment to be able to present to industry peers and, as ever, those in attendance are rooting for you to succeed.”
The first runner up was Midlands regional winner Shahrukh James, whose presentation was titled “An everyday consequence and its impact on the £18.9bn railway”. His talk focused on his work at Alstom developing a way to prevent rubbish from getting caught in the doors of Elizabeth line trains, an issue that had been causing significant delays.
Second runner up was Ewan Martin from Brodie Engineering, with a presentation on an overhaul of the Class 170 C8. The other finalists were Kathryn Hurst from Digital Transit, who presented on a new tram safety device, and Fareena Saleemi from WSP, who spoke about her project optimising track alignment.
This year’s event was inspired by Railway 200, celebrating 200 years of the modern railway. It gave participants the opportunity to expand their skillsets and network with senior colleagues, said Smith, who is also a power engineer at Transport for London.
“Some people might have come through an apprenticeship or university where they've never had the opportunity to give a large-scale presentation or practise public speaking,” she said. “Our audience is made up of people of all ages, all aspects of their career, so it gives them an opportunity to interface and network with those sorts of individuals.”
Competitors were unaware of who would be in the audience, she added, reflecting the realities of the workplace. The experience is a useful confidence booster, she continued, showing participants that public speaking might not be as “scary” as they had previously thought. “You could immediately see that it was breaking down a barrier that they might have had, a lack of confidence.”
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.