Application of openBIM for the Management of Existing Railway Infrastructure: Case Study of the Cancello–Benevento Railway Line

Abstract

In the field of infrastructure, the development and application of the openBIM (open Building Information Modeling) approach and related standards (principally Industry Foundation Classes) remain limited with regard to processes in O&M (Operation and Maintenance) phases, as well as the broader context of AM (Asset Management). This article deals with the activities carried out as part of a pilot project based on the need to manage the operation and assess the condition and value of existing infrastructure along the Cancello–Benevento railway line. The principal goal was to systematize information by digitalizing the infrastructure, in order to enable the assessment of possible performance gaps (compared to national railway standards) in the event of integration within the national infrastructure. In compliance with the project requirements, a digitalization strategy was designed for the definition of surveying activities and the implementation of openBIM systems for the development of an object library and a federated digital model, structured within the collaborative platform that was used, and allowing management, maintenance, and subsequent financial evaluation in the broader context of asset management. The project involved the collaboration of railway operators, a university, and a software company that implemented innovative concepts concerning IFC (specifically, IFC4x2 was used) through the development of dedicated software solutions. The digital solution we proposed enabled the use of digital models as access keys to survey and maintenance information (ERP platforms used by the railway operators) that was available in real time. This project was nominated at the buildingSMART awards 2021 and was one of three finalists in the “Asset Management Using openBIM” category.

Railway Infrastructures E-Maintenance Systems: A Literature Review

“…In several countries such as Italy, UK, Spain, and China, building information modeling (BIM) is implemented in railway infrastructure maintenance digital transformation [46][47][48][49][50][51]. Its implementation can improve the railway infrastructure maintenance planning with time saving, cost optimization [46], [47][48][49][50][51][52], and provide the internal requirement in terms of the safety of the users [52]. Building information modeling (BIM) facilitates all stakeholders, so they can keep the maintenance project scope in review if there is any changes [50].…”

Case Study of Remodelling the As-Built Documentation of a Railway Construction into the BIM and GIS Environment

“…The central element is the LOD (Level of Detail) in the BIM model, which represents the risk object (e.g., a switch) with all geometric and non-geometric information. The main objective of the project in [43] was to systematize the information of the digitized railway infrastructure in order to assess possible performance gaps within the national infrastructure. The project proposed a digitization strategy to define surveying activities and implement openBIM systems to develop an object library and a federated digital asset management model.…”

Systematic Literature Review of Open Infrastructure BIM

“…Part of the research focused on the use and expansion of the IFC standard to include the description of railways, which certainly favored and supported the development of the IFC 4.3 standard, which can now also describe railway objects [232][233][234]. An interesting example of applying Open BIM to asset management can be found in the work of Ciccone et al [235]. The authors had the main goal of systematizing information by digitalizing the infrastructure of the Cancello-Benevento railway line in Italy in order to assess possible performance gaps within the national railway standards.…”