IRIMEE provides theoretical and practical training for a four-year undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering as well as professional courses to officers and supervisors of Indian Railways.

Traditionally a center for firearms manufacturing, Jamalpur was selected by the East Indian Railway for one of its earliest workshops and was established on 8 February 1862.

[1] Located in the foothills of the Rajmahal range (a part of Chhota Nagpur Plateau), the site was high enough to survive any threat of floods from the Ganges, and the hills secured it against any organized attack from an enemy.

The program gained national prominence in February 1927 when it started training Special Class Railway Apprentice Mechanical and Electrical Engineers.

Built in the first decade of the 20th century, the original two-story building of IRIMEE was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1921, but it was redesigned and reconstructed in 1924.

Recreational facilities includes multi-gyms, table tennis, field hockey, squash, basketball, and swimming.