HS2
Leading from the front HS2’s Head of Digital Engineering on how technology will transform design, construction and management of infrastructure projects
D
ue to the huge swathes of data and millions of documents involved, HS2 is too big and too complex an infrastructure project to be managed using traditional static and document-based ways of working. HS2 is utilising digital engineering, with Building Information Modelling (BIM) at its core, to both fulfil its obligations as a publicly procured project and to go beyond the government’s mandate to transform the way the industry has traditionally designed, constructed and managed infrastructure projects. During design and construction, HS2 is using data and cutting-edge technologies to develop a ‘Virtual Railway’ comprising visualisations of project information and ‘digital twins’ of railway assets. All of this helps HS2 to interrogate information, test assumptions and validate decision-making with stakeholders. Heading up a multi-disciplinary team is Dr Sonia Zahiroddiny, HS2’s Head of Digital Engineering. HS2 is the first rail infrastructure project to adopt BIM from its inception but will clearly not be the last. Sonia is in no doubt about the benefits of digital engineering and embraces the challenge faced in transforming the manner in which mega-projects are delivered, which, she told RailDirector, requires a shift in mindset across the industry. She said that HS2’s first Technical Director, Professor Andrew McNaughton, was the first to say that: “Digital engineering and BIM are the lifeblood of HS2, enabling us to
test, verify and simulate the design and build first and compute vast amounts of data. As Europe’s largest high speed rail infrastructure
project and one of the most environmentally responsible infrastructure projects we need to lead from the front.
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16 | March 2021
railbusinessdaily.com