2021-2023 Train Rail Hackathon

How can railways be resilient in the face of pandemics?

The 2021-2023 Train Rail Hackathon award ceremony is postponed to 2023

Partipate: hackathon.railtalent.org

The 2022 Train Rail hackathon

How can railways be resilient in the face of pandemics?

The upheavals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are a major source of stress, insecurity and questions for everyone and put to the test the most robust health, economic and financial systems.

In this context, to bounce back and cope with this difficult situation, companies have sought to demonstrate resilience and adaptability, by developing creative and innovative solutions.

The theme chosen for this international hackathon: “How can railways be resilient in the face of pandemics?” », Is appropriate in view of the current global health situation

This Hackathon offers to participants and rail enthusiasts the opportunity to imagine the future and develop solutions for railway operators to better face pandemic situations. The solutions sought can be applied in the various sectors of activity of these companies.

The hackathon will include various themes and activities, such as: training, customer service on board trains and in stations, maintenance workshops, management of suspicious cases, communication and information, etc.

The participation of young talents from railway companies and universities to find innovative solutions, through this competition that we are launching as part of the UIC Trainrail  project, plan to use their knowledge, intelligence and expertise to reinvent our ways of doing things in this sector of activity in order to face a scourge such as COVID-19.

Goals

The goals of the hackathon are:

• Raise the young generations’ awareness about the co-relation between development of rail transit and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Enhance their understanding about the spirit of innovation.
• Develop their competence in working with personalities of diverse backgrounds, which will thus prepare them to become world leaders and thinkers in contributing to a sustainable world.
• Strengthen cultural exchange among their countries, setting the foundation for the future development of international relations.
• Support the challenges of railway companies and education and training establishments with creativity
• Promote startups
• Mobilize the best internal and external talents
• Turn an idea into reality

Benefits

• Final selected teams will be sponsored to attend the World Congress (date postponed)
• Possible further support and feedback:
• Further improvement of the prototypes
• Promote start-ups
• Opportunity for industrial application
• Possibility for further investment

Why a TrainRail Hackathon?

As part of the activities of the TrainRail project, launched by the UIC platform “TEDP” (development of expertise), innovation and in order to develop a cooperative network of training organizations and industrial partners and also attract more talent to railway companies, it was agreed to organize a Hackathon at regional / national (Asia / Pacific, Africa, Russia,…) and international level in Russia, during WCRT 2022.

TrainRail Hackathon will be organized every two years

What is a Hackathon?

Hackathon is an event where a group of designers, engineers, programmers, etc. meets to develop new ideas, offer innovative solutions to practical industry problems and manufacture product prototypes. There will be exhibitions and communications organized on a given topic during the event.

Hackathon is an event where people from different backgrounds communicate and cooperate together in technological development. These activities can promote mutual learning of knowledge and technologies in other related fields. Rapid development activities are also conducive to improving the analysis, design and capacities of participants. The Hackathon is NOT a competition in the traditional sense, but rather a gathering of creative minds. Competition with other manufacturers in the business of Hackathon is mainly to increase the fun.

Hackathon require participants to brainstorm and collaborate and finally work out a product
Hackathon is one of the increasingly popular events among young people all over the globe. 
Hackathon create opportunities for young people and prepare them into global leaders.
Hackathon address global issues and help creating a sustainable world. 

About TrainRail

TrainRail is a cooperative international network of educational, training organizations and industry partners collaborating for  a more sustainable and attractive railway sector
TrainRail designs and implements railway training ventures to make railways attractive for the younger generation and develop young rail professionals through networking, exchanges and contests
TrainRail is a promoter of TALENT core principles and values

How to participate?

• Teams of 4 to 5 people from rail networks and training and education organizations
• Registration in one of the selected region
•  Selection of projects (1 to 2 per region) by regional juries will go for the international event 

Regional participation: November 2021 – February 2022

The form and period of competition will be decided by each regional organizing committee; it will be held either late 2021 or early 2022.

It could be “online ” or “offline” competition, and also be a combination of both forms. At the final competition, winners of regional games will have face-to-face communication in the form of a presentation of the project.  The form of the final competition may change according to actual situation.

International participation:  April – May 2022

The 2022 Train Rail Hackathon award ceremony will take place at the WCRT 2023 (date to be announced)

Train the trainers

Training sessions are scheduled in September and October 2021

For more information, please consult:

https://uic.org/events/train-the-trainers-sessions

Contacts

Région	Country	Host	Organizer	Contact
Asia Pacific:	China	National Railway Administration of the People’s Republic of China, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.	Southwest Jiaotong University, …	rail-hackathon-afr@iff-ma.com
Russia	Russia	Ministers of Transport of the Russian Federation	Russian University of Transport (RUT)	hackathon.rut@mail.ru
Africa	Morocco	National Office of Railways (ONCF)	IFF (Railway Training Institute)	rail-hackathon-afr@iff-ma.com
Europe	Spain		University of Malaga	rail_hackathon_eu@uma.es
Middle East	Turkey	TCDD	MERTCe	uicmertce@tcdd.gov.tr
Latin America	Brazil		Southeastern Minas Gerais Federal Institute	internacional@ifsudestemg.edu.br

Trainrail Hackathon Rules 2021-2022

The present regulations serve to define the terms of organisation and participation in the TrainRail Hackathon 2021-2022.
The hackathon will be organised with the following theme:
“How can rail be resilient in the face of pandemics?”
For information, candidates may consult the work undertaken by the UIC Covid-19 Taskforce pub- lished on the UIC website: www.uic.org