TrainFriends

Inspiration

Friends from the same Munich suburb commute to university alone, missing chances for a chat because they don’t know they’re on the same train.

What it does

Analyzes location data in real time and notifies both parties when they’re on the same train, turning a solitary ride into a social opportunity.

How we built it

• Backend: Python server with a SQLite database for connecting friends and distributing position data.
  
• Frontend: Node.js + TypeScript web app and an Android app for live GPS access.

Challenges we ran into

• There were so many cool challenges, so deciding which to tackle was a though task
• Android Studio instability
• Especially in the beginning: Git issues

Accomplishments we’re proud of

• Getting the whole stack running end‑to‑end.
  
• Stabilizing Android Studio for smooth development.
  
• Implementing all core features: building a network of friends, location collection, matching algorithm, notifications and a map.

What we learned

• Advanced Git workflows, especially multi‑branching and rebasing.
  
• What a swagger.json is
• How impressive AI Code seems
• How unimpressive AI Code is

What’s next for TrainFriends

• Sleeeeeep
• Would be super nice to actually use it (and convince our friends). Enhance the text

Ready to turn lonely commutes into friendly conversations.

Built With

• android-studio
• gps
• node.js
• openapi
• python
• sqlite
• typescript