8 minute read
Forging a connection
At the point where HS2’s main line from London branches out to Birmingham and Leeds, Ineco used software from Bentley Systems to design and document the optimal track alignment for trains to pass each other safely, even at high speeds.
The design of the Birmingham Delta Junction was always likely to be one of the most complex aspects of the ambitious and often controversial project to build the UK’s High Speed Two (HS2) railway line.
The junction, after all, marks the spot where the main line co-exists with branches to Birmingham and Leeds. It’s a place characterised by many intersections and where trains will race past each other at maximum speeds of 400kph and commercial speeds of 350kph, points out Fernando Tejedor, senior project manager and railway team leader at Ineco, the transport engineering and consultancy company contracted to work on HS2.
It’s also a vital element of one of the UK’s most high-profile infrastructure projects, which its proponents claim will offer passengers more seating capacity and 50% shorter journey times between cities, as well as new jobs and regeneration opportunities across the UK.
In order to model the terrain of the Birmingham Delta Junction, design the optimal track alignment and generate the required documentation for this project, Ineco turned to software from Bentley Systems. At the same time, the company was looking to help a geographically dispersed design team collaborate and meet a challenging six-month deadline.
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The design of the junction had to take into account 21 points of conflict with associated infrastructure
Challenges ahead
“From a technical point of view, the Birmingham Delta Junction is the most complex corridor of the first phase of HS2,” says Tejedor. This first phase involves the development of the London-Birmingham Connection. A second phase will focus on further connections to Manchester and Leeds, while a third will provide connections to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
For a start, there were 21 points of conflict with associated infrastructure to take into account, including five motorway crossings, various high-voltage power lines, river and canal crossings, plus minor roads and an existing, conventional es. AssetWise, meanwhile, enabled Ineco other sources was handled with ease,” railway line. to create a file delivery portal for the client says Luque.
Plus, there was the safety aspect to con- and enforce document control across all The outputs of this design and inforsider. Says Tejedor: “These connections locations working on the project. mation modelling process included produce a very complex operation MicroStation was used by Ineco for infor- plans, profiles, cross sections and 3D scheme, allowing the movement of trains mation modelling, generation and manipu- views. The visualisation capabilities in all possible directions every three min- lation of graphics, plus the creation of offered by MicroStation and Bentley Rail utes – and at 400kph – without interfer- guidelines for developing route alignment Track made it easy for Ineco to communiing with each other.” options. This allowed engineers to “create cate the design to all stakeholders; for
In response, Ineco conducted two studies terrain models from LiDAR information example, they could provide a realistic with a view to developing innovations that provided from 94 flights at a 20cm preci- visualisation that demonstrated clearly were seen as potentially critical to support- sion”, according to Francisco Luque, a civil how the design would integrate with the ing high speeds on the new railway. The engineer and alignment designer at Ineco. existing physical environment at various first focused on the design of a rail turnout Following horizontal and vertical intersecting points. and the second on the design of a ballast alignment design according to HS2’s section. standards, Ineco designed and located Efficiency gains
This work involved Ineco experts based turnouts using Bentley Rail Track’s Using Bentley Rail Track, MicroStation in London, Madrid and Seville, as well as switch placement feature. Where stand- and ProjectWise, Ineco executives say the some in Wales. “One of the big- company’s distributed team was gest challenges facing the project team was coordinating the various working groups and ena‘‘ One of the biggest challenges facing the able to work faster, smarter and more effectively. “Efficiency gains were significant and we were able bling them to share data and col- project team was coordinating the to reduce the amount of resources laborate efficiently while work- various working groups and enabling used on the project by up to 30 ing remotely,” says Tejedor. “This required an engineering them to share data percent,” says Tejedor. ProjectWise also played a vital information management system and environment that could ’’ role in helping team members to manage documentation generatensure that each team member, regardless ard switches did not meet the 230kph ed by both HS2 and its own consultants, of where they sat in the world, was able to design criteria for the junction, they used while its delta file transfer functionality access the latest version of the data, as the feature’s Turnout Generator. Multiple meant that information could be well as templates to enable design templates were then developed to stream- exchanged quickly and securely. standardisation and related applications.” line and standardise the design of the “It was a magnificent tool for sharing and railway formation, so designers could exchanging files,” reflects Pablo Ramos, Product portfolio handle complex sections that included Ineco’s UK country manager. “The integraBentley products used by Ineco on the retaining walls, platform junctions, cul- tion of ProjectWise and Bentley Rail Track HS2 project included ProjectWise, verts, catenary masts and sleepers. enabled [us] to easily deploy project preferMicroStation, Bentley Rail Track and “Using Bentley software and the com- ences across the distributed team, ensure AssetWise (formerly known as eB). At the mon data environment it provides meant engineers and designers adhered consisthighest level, ProjectWise supported glob- we could easily incorporate 3D models ently to standards across all offices and al collaboration and provided internal for all the different technical disciplines delivery the same high standards of quality document version control, complete with involved, consider environmental factors demanded by the client.” auto-updates of document cross-referenc- for the project and ensure that data from ■ bentley.com
