A total of 15 enterprises and 2 technology centre, all associated to the Spanish cluster in railway mobility innovation, RAILWAY INNOVATION HUB (RIH) and the college of engineers of Madrid have begun with the preparatory works for the development of the innovative initiative launch from RIH and in which is being headed by two, also associates, enterprises GRANT THORNTON and INECO with the objective of the standardization of the work methodology, Building Information Model (BIM) for the railway sector.

The constituting meeting has been celebrated in the RIH´s facilities with the organizations mentioned before, in addition ADIF and AOPJA (public construction agency) have been represented as relevant stakeholders.

The constituting session also have served to create already, the first work group which will focus on the classification of the different railway elements, although the creation of two more groups is already planned.

This strategic plan constitutes the first one implemented from Railway Innovation Hub, pursuing the achievement of a standard under the BIM technology in order to develop new railway projects in our country. In this way, the initiative will generate the first classification in the world that will include all the elements from the different railway sub-systems that could be included in the models made with this technology.

The enterprises that are already participating in this innovative initiative are ABENGOA, ACTISA, AKKA, APOGEA VIRTUAL, AYESA, AZVI, CEMOSA, DASSAULT SYSTEMES, FCC, FERROVIAL, INGENIERÍA INSITU, SACYR, SDEA SOLUTIONS, SIEMENS and SISTEM, as well as the technological centre CETEMET and TECNALIA.

This impressive level of participation has meant a “huge satisfaction” for the RAILWAY INNOVATION HUB representants and for the enterprises leading the initiative who have pointed the high level of response offered by the members of the RIH.

The BIM methodology, well-known in the building sector, is being increasingly used in the implementation of the railway sector reducing the operative mistakes, dead time and final costs. However, there are classification tables containing the different sector for the building projects, in the railway construction there are not a standardized and homogenous classification. Fact that increase the difficulty the correct exchange of information among all the agents who take actions during the process.

Therefore, the purpose is to overcome this void and reach a “BIM model for railway” which manage and organize details of all the phases of a project, generating a design model and collaborative planification which optimize times and resources.

The unified classification of BIM elements is not the unique purpose of this strategic plan launch jointly by GRANT THORNTON, INECO and RIH. This plan also aims to impulse other measures like the implementation of R&D collaborative projects based on the BIM data models, elaborate a yearly report with the results of the BIM application to the sector and finally dissemination and formation in these technologies in an education environment and to the public administration.