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Electric Locomotive Project Loco01 – ‘Andorinha’ Features MCG Participation

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MCG Transportation will develop and produce several components and systems for Loco01 – ‘Andorinha’, the electric locomotive that ISTrain will enter in the IMechE Railway Challenge.

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MCG Transportation will develop and produce several components and systems for the electric locomotive Loco01 – ‘Andorinha’, created by ISTrain, a student-led group from Instituto Superior Técnico, to compete in the July 2026 edition of the IMechE Railway Challenge in the United Kingdom.

This project represents an active collaboration between industry and engineering education, with direct impact on the training of young engineers and on national railway innovation.

In September, the event ‘Design Freeze – a Historic Milestone’ marked the official presentation of Loco01 – ‘Andorinha’. António Coelho, General Manager of MCG Transportation, attended to reinforce the company’s commitment to a project that combines applied engineering, technical training, and competitive spirit.

Physical construction of the locomotive begins in November 2025, with a clear goal: to build a functional and competitive vehicle capable of facing the real-world tests of the Railway Challenge – an international competition that evaluates traction, energy efficiency, remote control, speed, and technical innovation on track.

Applied engineering in a real-world context

Loco01 – ‘Andorinha’ is more than an academic prototype. It is a full-scale railway engineering exercise, where every component – from the structure to the traction system – is designed to meet demanding criteria for performance and safety.

Together with ISTrain and other companies involved in the project, MCG Transportation is helping to develop technical solutions that will be tested in a live environment, contributing industrial expertise and production capacity to a project that pushes the boundaries of young engineering.

Training with impact

This project is also an opportunity to engage engineering students and recent graduates in concrete challenges, with real deadlines and high technical demands.

MCG believes that supporting initiatives like this is an investment in the future of railway engineering and a way to build bridges with the talent that will shape the sector.