The use of BIM in the railway intervention planning process to support the early estimation of future interventions

Abstract

This report describes the digitalisation of the railway intervention planning process using predictive maintenance algorithms and Building Information Modeling (BIM). It is proposed that this would improve the effectiveness and efficiency of estimating future interventions. This entails an understanding of (1) the current intervention planning process at the SBB, including the stakeholders involved and their associated responsibilities, (2) the digital tools available to facilitate the decision-making for intervention planning of railway infrastructure on the asset, component, and network level, and (3) the coordination between these digital tools to ensure consistency and interaction between these tools and the decision-makers to communicate the results. The intervention planning process is modeled using Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0, based on a series of interviews with stakeholders who are involved in decision-making in the planning process. This process requires decisions from the asset managers, network managers, production and project managers, as well as capacity managers. Their tasks and responsibilities are described, and the iterative nature of the interaction amongst these stakeholders is evident. Through BIM visualisations, the report describes the methodologies that facilitate the post-processing and communication of the algorithms’ results. Two methods were used to develop visualisations, both are demonstrated with a case-study of a regional railway line in Switzerland, Line 260. The first method uses the BIM authoring tool Revit, with the algorithm’s results transferred through visual programming plug-in Dynamo. It serves to display the progression of asset condition states, the interventions, and their clustering. The second method uses the BIM authoring tool Navisworks, alongside graphical intervention time schedules generated with the R programming language. It focuses on the scheduling and sequencing of interventions, alongside planning for railway line closures. Both methodologies ensure direct transfer of algorithms’ outputs into practical BIM model applications, enabling rapid iterations and adjustments. Moreover, the report outlines potential strategies to incorporate these digital tools into the railway intervention planning processes. Identified as an area for future research is the current limitation of unidirectional data exchange, where algorithms’ outputs are transferred to the BIM model without a reciprocal flow of information.