A youngster has reached the final of a national business competition after designing an app to help railway engineers.

Fahad Rage, from Walthamstow, has been working with engineering firm Furrer+Frey, as part of a work placement programme run by education charity the Engineering Development Trust (EDT).

As part of a competition run by EDT, Fahad was asked to design a tool to improving the compatibility of railway electrification projects to Network Rail’s High Output Plant System (HOPS).

HOPS is a mechanical “factory on rails”, which has so far been used to speed up the installation of overhead line cables and pylons on the Great Western Railway.

Through his own initiative, Fahad learnt the necessary programming languages to design and build an app, which tells designers instantly if a planned installation is compatible with HOPS.

The app won the Best Use of IT award at the South East regional Future Industry Leaders Awards and has now been shortlisted for the national prize, which will be announced on September 7.

Former George Monoux Sixth Form College student Fahad is now studying for a masters in mechanical engineering at University College London.

Chris Bryan, contact systems engineer at Furrer+Frey, said: “Fahad showed considerable initiative by individually creating an app for the High Output Plant System.

“The finished app will be a huge boon for the Great Western Electrification Programme as it will save time and ensure consistency in the installation of safety critical equipment.”