100+ Hours | Online & Live | Weekend Program

Artificial Intelligence & Data Science with GenAI Applications in Rail

A 6-month programme from IITM Pravartak, Zenith Railway Academy and industry partners. You get academic lectures from IIT Madras faculty and rail-domain experts, hands-on practical sessions and assignments, and a capstone project — all focused on applying AI to rail communication, operations and safety.

Live Sessions

100+

Hours Online & Live

Capstone

Applied & Assessed

IITM

Pravartak Certificate

Apply Now Speak with an Advisor

Offered by IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation in collaboration with Zenith Railway Academy and industry proponents

AI & Data Science Lab

Rail AI & GenAI Applications

Duration6 Months

Learning100+ Hours

FormatOnline / Weekend Classes

CertificateIITM Pravartak

Batch02

Live Sessions25 sessions across 6 months

Next Cohort6 June 2026

Fee₹80,000 + GST

Python & Power BI/Predictive Analytics/Deep Learning/Generative AI/AI Ethics & Governance/Capstone Project/

IITM Pravartak campus

About the innovation hub

IITM Pravartak — Innovation Hub of IIT Madras

IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation is the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) hosted by IIT Madras and funded by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, under the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). It advances research and technology development in Sensors, Networking, Actuators and Control Systems (SNACS) within cyber-physical domains. Its work spans academia, industry, government and international partners — with a focus on entrepreneurship, skill-building and translational research.

Why rail AI is different

A Safety & Operations Challenge, Not Just a Data Science Course

Rail AI spans edge devices (drones, POS terminals, digital signalling equipment), customer-facing systems, coach and queuing optimisation, predictive maintenance of hardware and software assets, and safety-critical detection tasks like track-crack and signalling-defect identification.

The key distinction: in rail, AI models must be trustworthy enough to inform safety-relevant decisions, not just optimise convenience.

Edge & Operational Data

Drones, POS terminals and digital signalling equipment generate the data AI models learn from.

Capabilities you will build

What You Will Be Able To Do

Applied, rail-relevant capability across data analysis, predictive modelling, deep learning and generative AI.

Apply AI and data-science fundamentals to rail-domain problems.

Analyse data from edge devices, digital signalling equipment and customer feedback.

Who should attend

Engineers and Professionals Applying AI to Rail

Pathway 1

Rail & Transport Engineers

Engineers seeking to apply AI knowledge in rail projects
Professionals at organisations providing railway products & services
Professionals who design or implement railway or transport solutions

Is this programme for you

A 60-Second Fit Check

Select the statements that describe you. This is a self-assessment guide — not a formal eligibility decision.

Your fit

0 / 6 selected0%

Select statements above

Tick the statements that apply to you to see how well this programme fits your goals.

Speak with an advisor

Who you will learn with

Engineers and Technologists, Building Rail AI Together

The peer-learning value lies in bringing rail engineers and technology professionals into the same room to apply AI to real rail problems.

8 yrs

Avg. experience

25+

Organisations

50 : 50

Rail : Tech split

30%

Prior AI/ML exposure

Professional background

Signalling & Rail Operations55%

IT / Data / Software60%

The learning journey

From AI Foundations to a Rail Capstone Project

01Stage

Establish AI & Data Foundations

Introduction to AI and data science, rail data sources, and descriptive analytics with Python and Power BI.

02Stage

Apply Analytics to Rail Operations

Statistical analytics for coach and queuing optimisation, resource allocation, and automated customer chat.

03Stage

Move into Deep Learning & GenAI

Deep learning fundamentals, generative AI for rail applications, and safety-focused detection use cases.

04Stage

Integrate, Govern & Plan

AI integration in operations, ethics, regulatory frameworks, project management and business-case development.

05Stage

Look Ahead

Future trends, industry perspectives and career pathways in AI for rail.

06Stage

Complete the Capstone

Present a capstone project applying AI and data science to a real rail challenge, evaluated by peers and instructors.

Curriculum architecture

25 Sessions, Grouped Into Six Pillars

Grouped from the programme's published session-by-session outline; group titles and structure are an editorial grouping of the real 25 sessions, not verbatim from raw.

01Foundations: AI & Data in the Rail Domain (Sessions 1–2)

Introduction to AI and its applications in the rail domain

Importance of data in railways and future implications

Digitization requirements for railways

Current data ingestion in railways: edge devices (drones, POS terminals, digital signalling equipment)

Customer feedback data and its significance

Tools & techniques in context

Tooling Taught — And What You Do With It

Only tools and techniques actually named in the published curriculum are listed here.

Python (Matplotlib)

Application

Descriptive data analysis and visualisation for railway data.

Power BI

Application

Advanced data visualisation and interactive dashboards for railway data.

Hands-on practice

Practise Building Rail AI Systems, Not Just Studying Them

Hands-on exercises accompany the curriculum, including a generative-model build and a customer-service chatbot. Access details and prerequisites are confirmed in the brochure.

IITM Pravartak learning environment

Toolset

Python & Matplotlib

Power BI

Machine learning & deep learning frameworks

ZRA Labs Live sandbox

Programme faculty & industry experts

IITM Pravartak Faculty & Industry Practitioners

Raw programme materials name IITM Pravartak faculty and industry practitioners generically, without an individual faculty roster for this specific programme — named individuals below are unverified against this raw source and are carried over from the sibling IITM Pravartak cybersecurity programme's faculty pool where domain-appropriate.

AI & Cybersecurity

IITM Pravartak

Ashish Arora

Teaches AI Applications

Ashish Arora

Teaches AI Applications

Ashish Arora is a technology and artificial intelligence professional focused on AI-driven product development, machine learning, and digital innovation. He has been associated with AI and software engineering initiatives involving generative AI, intelligent automation, and enterprise technology solutions. His work reflects strong expertise in AI applications, product strategy, and emerging technologies, with active involvement in the broader AI and tech ecosystem.

Programme & Academic Leadership

IITM Pravartak

Dr. L. Subramanian

Cyber-Physical Systems

Dr. L. Subramanian

Cyber-Physical Systems

Foundations of secure cyber-physical infrastructure.

AI & Cybersecurity

IITM Pravartak

Madhusudhanan (Madhu) Baskaran

Teaches AI

Madhusudhanan (Madhu) Baskaran

Teaches AI

Chief Data & AI Strategist and Ph.D. in AI/ML with 32+ years of cross-functional experience spanning AI, Data, Engineering, R&D, and product innovation. Specializing in Generative AI, NLP, LLMs, Speech AI, Document Intelligence, Responsible AI, and Intelligent Systems. Guest Faculty at IIT Madras and Thought Leader – AI at IITM Pravartak, with extensive experience advising enterprises, governments, startups, and technology leaders.

Capstone & portfolio

Apply AI and Data Science to a Real Rail Challenge

Participants present a capstone project applying AI/data science to a real rail problem, with feedback and evaluation from peers and instructors and recognition for outstanding projects.

Formats & deliverables

Problem statement grounded in a real rail challengeData analysis and model-building approachApplied AI/ML or GenAI solutionEvaluation of results and limitationsFinal presentation

Evaluation & structure

01Technical accuracy

02Rail-operational relevance

Credential

Earn a Professional Certificate from IITM Pravartak

On successful completion, participants receive a Professional Certificate awarded by IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation, in partnership with Zenith Railway Academy.

Professional Certificate Program AI & Data Science with GenAI: Applications in Rail certificate

How you are assessed & completion criteria

SignatoriesDr. M J Shankar Raman (CEO, IITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation) & Mr. Sumit Kanu (Director, Zenith Railway Academy)

Awarding bodyIITM Pravartak Technologies Foundation

CapstoneCapstone project presentation and evaluationRequired

Certificate formatDigital + physical

Career & organisational application

Apply the Learning Across Rail AI Roles

Technical Roles

AI/data science analyst in a rail organisation

Predictive-maintenance analyst

Rail data & analytics engineer

Applied & GenAI Roles

Generative-AI applications specialist

Schedule & workload

Designed Around Working Professionals

Duration

6 months

Total learning

100+ hours

Live sessions

25 sessions, weekends online

Self-paced work

Exercises and project work during the week

Fees & payment

Fees & Payment Options

Total programme fee is ₹80,000 + GST, payable in three instalments, with a refundable ₹3,000 registration fee at application and a no-cost 10-month EMI option through the loan partner.

Flexible

Instalments

Three instalments — ₹30,000 + GST immediately after the offer letter, ₹25,000 + GST within 30 days of class commencement, ₹25,000 + GST within 90 days of class commencement (US $600 per instalment for international students).

Enquire

No-cost EMI

10-Month EMI

As low as ₹8,000 + GST per month × 10 months via the loan partner (equivalent to ₹80,000 + GST total).

Frequently asked questions

Answers, Grounded in the Programme

Ask about Cybersecurity for Railways & Smart Transportation Systems

We will match you to the right free course or certification route.

Artificial Intelligence & Data Science with GenAI Applications in Rail

IITM Pravartak — Innovation Hub of IIT Madras

A Safety & Operations Challenge, Not Just a Data Science Course

Edge & Operational Data

What You Will Be Able To Do

Engineers and Professionals Applying AI to Rail

Rail & Transport Engineers

A 60-Second Fit Check

Engineers and Technologists, Building Rail AI Together

From AI Foundations to a Rail Capstone Project

Establish AI & Data Foundations

Apply Analytics to Rail Operations

Move into Deep Learning & GenAI

Integrate, Govern & Plan

Look Ahead

Complete the Capstone

25 Sessions, Grouped Into Six Pillars

Tooling Taught — And What You Do With It

Python (Matplotlib)

Power BI

Practise Building Rail AI Systems, Not Just Studying Them

IITM Pravartak Faculty & Industry Practitioners

Apply AI and Data Science to a Real Rail Challenge

Earn a Professional Certificate from IITM Pravartak

Apply the Learning Across Rail AI Roles

Designed Around Working Professionals

Fees & Payment Options

Instalments

10-Month EMI

Answers, Grounded in the Programme

Ask about Cybersecurity for Railways & Smart Transportation Systems

Predictive Maintenance

Safety-Critical Deep Learning

Generative AI for Rail Problem-Solving

Ethics, Governance & Regulation

Technology Graduates & Working Professionals

Machine Learning (Supervised & Unsupervised)

Deep Learning

Generative AI (GenAI)

AI Ethics & Governance

Executive courses come with a hands-on lab.

Predictive maintenance model

Safety detection use case

GenAI rail application

Eligibility, Prerequisites & Readiness

Corporate Nomination

Secure Your Organisation's Capability