USUST teams among the leaders of Ukrzaliznytsia ‘First Track 2.0’ Hackathon

On April 22, 2026, the final stage of the industry hackathon ‘First Track 2.0’, organized by JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, took place in Kyiv. The event united more than 200 participants in over 30 teams from leading higher education institutions of Ukraine, who worked on solutions to real challenges facing the transport sector.

 

The Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies was proudly represented by two teams, both of which demonstrated a high level of preparation and won prizes.

 

The ‘Prydniprovtsi’ team presented the project ‘SHUNTING GAME’, aimed at improving the management of shunting operations in railway transport. In the final, the team was represented in person by team captain Anna Moskvitina (group UZ2521). According to the evaluation results, the project won first place in one of the nominations and second place overall.

 

The team included the students from the Faculty of Transportation Management and the Faculty of Computer Technologies and Systems: Anna Moskvitina (5th year, UZ2521), Mykhailo Sykyrskyi (5th year, UL2521), Dmytro Zemliakov (3rd year, UL2311), Maksym Khoruzhyi, Arvin Dongauzer-Soloviov, and Vladyslav Andrieiev (group PZ2311). The team was mentored by Oleksandr Petrovych Ivanov, Associate Professor of the Department of Computer Information Technologies.

Another team from the SEI ‘DIIT’ ‘Energy Rail Force’, with the students of the Faculty of Energy and Electrical Engineering Management, worked on the project ‘Green Crossing – Autonomous Railway Crossing’. The team included Tymur Skryliov as captain, Vadym Shyrokyi, Kostiantyn Abala, and Dmytro Prusak.

 

Within the ‘Green Crossing – Autonomous Railway Crossing’ subsection, the team competed against students from the National Technical University of Ukraine ‘Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute’, Kyiv Aviation Institute, and the Ukrainian State University of Railway Transport. The team’s project focused on developing an autonomous power supply system for railway crossings, one of the key elements of traffic safety.

 

The students proposed a comprehensive solution using solar and wind energy, designed to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the facility for at least three days, even under challenging weather conditions and taking into account anti-vandal protection. A distinctive feature of the project was the possibility of using a Stirling engine generator capable of operating on different types of fuel. This approach makes it possible to create an autonomous railway facility that does not require constant maintenance, minimizes energy consumption costs, and ensures stable 24/7 infrastructure operation.

 

Following the final project defense, the ‘Energy Rail Force’ team also took second place in its category.

 

The ‘First Track 2.0’ hackathon has become a platform where students can interact with experts in the industry and has demonstrated an important role of the university in training future professionals. The participation and the results of USUST teams have once again showed the high level of students’ knowledge and their ability to provide effective innovative solutions for the development of the railway infrastructure of Ukraine.