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.

Throughout the year, we will be adding more activities and opportunities for you to engage and celebrate with us, so don't forget to come back.

Explore the history of rail

Our Library and Archive collections can take you on a trip through railway history, with highlights such as letters and reports by George Stephenson, as well as beautiful technical drawings, as well as curated reading lists highlight both the history and the latest research in the railway industry.

Explore railway history

View our Year of Rail reading lists


Celebrate with us

Attend one of our lectures

Join us at a free event in 2025 and be part of the IMechE rail community.

Help transcribe historical papers

Thanks to all our members who have volunteered to transcribe papers from our George Stephenson collection. We now have enough volunteers and look forward to seeing the insights they uncover into the life of our first president.

We will publish the results of the research in June to coincide with George Stephenson's birthday.

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 in 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.