INNOVATION IN RAIL AND TRANSIT
The public transport company of Amsterdam in the Netherlands transports about
1 million people every day by tram, bus, metro, and ferries on Amsterdam’s
notoriously steep and curvy streets with slopes of 8 percent or more. The
goal of this $15 million project was to redesign one of the busiest streets in
Amsterdam to optimize the tramway rail layout, especially over bridges.
To meet tram manufacturer contract requirements, steep grades had to
be reduced. Bentley Rail Track provided the rail control department with a
complete overview of all the gradients involved, which allowed designers to
optimize the vertical track alignment in steep locations. Bentley’s 3D design
tools have enabled GVB to design tracks about six times faster than before.
FINALIST
Mott MacDonald Ltd
Bentley Rail Track Migration Programme
London, United Kingdom
VIEW PRESENTATION
Before transitioning from MXRAIL to Bentley Rail Track, Mott MacDonald
identified two pilot projects for trial implementation. The first was an ongoing
project moving from outline design using MXRAIL to detailed design using
Bentley Rail Track. The transition improved the interface between design and
drawing tools, enabling designers to react to project change more efficiently.
The second project was a series of labor-intensive feasibility studies to identify
the optimum location of passing loops on an ore line in South Africa. The use
of templates to define track form and earthwork dimensions proved invaluable.
With two successful projects completed, the firm committed to a program of
migration, beginning with the central design office and then rolling it out to
regional offices. Project durations have been reduced by up to 20 percent.
