Amey urges rail to embrace digital technologies

Amey Consulting has published a report into how ‘digital twins’ can benefit the railway.

A realistic representation of a physical entity, a ‘digital twin’ looks and behaves like the real thing, improving processes for design and construction.

“Network Rail and its successor Great British Railways face an enormous challenge of renewing the UK’s ageing railways particularly signalling systems,” the company said.

“Without a step-change in the way new projects are designed and developed, it will be a struggle to keep the railways running.”

NR announced its intention last year to oversee the creation of a “data-driven synthetic environment” for the design and development of signalling and other infrastructure schemes. It has called on its supply chain to develop the building blocks required to make the virtual design platform a reality.

“Never has there been a greater need for UK rail to adapt and adopt new and exciting ways of working,” said Mark O’Connor, Amey’s Rail Market Director, Advisory and Analytics.

“Amey Consulting can add real value to the development of a synthetic environment and digital twins in a rail environment. Where there are gaps in our capabilities, we will collaborate with partners to develop viable, innovative solutions.”

Amey’s paper is available at https://www.amey.co.uk/ media/10641/digital-twin-whitepaper_may-2022.pdf