IMechE Year
of Rail

 

This year marks a milestone in railway history—the 200th anniversary of the world’s first passenger railway, which opened between Stockton and Darlington on 27 September 1825. It’s a moment to celebrate the huge contribution of engineers to the rail industry. 

At IMechE, we’re proud to have been at the heart of the railway engineering community since our founding. Our first President, George Stephenson, pioneered that historic railway, and today, our members continue to drive innovation in rail technology. 

That’s why we’re making 2025 A Year of Rail—a year-long celebration showcasing the expertise, achievements, and contributions of railway engineers past and present. Through events, training courses, and thought leadership, we’re championing the critical role of engineering in shaping the railways of tomorrow. 

Our Railway Division is the cornerstone of our rail activities, so do find out more about their work and the latest rail industry news. 

60 seconds of rail

Jenny Irish, Senior Engineer at Mott MacDonald, shares her views on smarter trains and passenger comfort.



Celebrate with us

Latest news

We did it! George Stephenson letters project

Three months ago 20 IMechE members signed up to transcribe our George Stephenson collection. Their mission? To help us celebrate the 200th anniversary of the modern railway and promote digital access to correspondence connected to our pioneering first president.


Find out more


Attend our events

Join us at our 2025 events and be part of the IMechE rail community.


Explore our rail history

A huge thank you to all our members who volunteered to transcribe papers from our George Stephenson collection. These letters are now available to explore on our Virtual Archive. Find out more about the project and the insights our volunteers uncovered in our blog post.

You can also explore our Library and Archive collections, where you can journey through railway history. Discover stunning technical drawings, photographs, and curated reading lists that showcase both the rich past and the latest research in the railway industry.

Explore railway history on the Virtual Archive
Read our featured blog posts and curated reading lists
George Stephenson Teaches Embroidery? A Hidden Railway Story Restored

Join us at the Railway Challenge

The Challenge continues to bring together teams of students, apprentices and graduates working in industry from across the world.

Teams design and manufacture a miniature (10¼” inch gauge) railway locomotive to a detailed technical specification. The locomotives will be tested live at the competition weekend, which takes place at the end of June at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Leicestershire, where several categories of winners and an overall Railway Challenge champion will be crowned.

Find out more

The industry is in need of talented engineers... So we are here to get inspiration, get our hands dirty building locomotives, and network with other team to find the best technologies.



Avi Sarif Team TRAK

Expand your engineering knowledge

Stay up-to-date and industry-relevant by attending one of our leaning and development opportunities.