RTM BIM

Project description

Building information modelling (BIM) seems to be the most promising extension to RailTopoModel (IRS30100:2016), which laid the foundation for multipurpose representation of railway infrastructure. RailTopoModel has been designed (UIC project P000199) with substantial contributions from UIC members (SNCF, Infrabel, JBV, ÖBB, DB, etc.) and others (railML.org community).

Building information modelling is a process involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. Building information models (BIMs) are files (mostly in proprietary formats and containing proprietary data) which can be extracted, exchanged or networked to support decision-making regarding a building or other built asset. Current BIM software is used by individuals, businesses and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain diverse physical infrastructure, such as water, communication utilities, roads, bridges, ports, tunnels, etc. BIM is increasingly becoming a basic requirement in public procurement.

BIM level 3 projects aim at organising and modelling the complete life cycle of railway infrastructure, from early design (business functional requirements) to operations (traffic management, maintenance and works, etc.). To achieve this, a shared project model has to be set up, allowing seamless, lossless data transfer from procurement, through construction, operation and maintenance, to disposal.
Answering this challenge for digital continuity requires, inter alia, a common language as a pivot for translation between the partners and stages of a BIM project, for which RailTopoModel laid a firm basis.

The present project squarely aims at BIM level 3, because some UIC members may already have realised the benefits of BIM level 2 (estimated to be about 20% of construction costs), and others are willing to share the state-of-the-art level 3 approach experimented by themselves.