The Australian rail industry is facing mounting pressures around safety, efficiency and sustainability – fortunately there are technology solutions that can help.
More and more, operators are turning to virtual twins, which offer numerous benefits from smarter, safer operations to faster project delivery and compliance.
Tony Rakuljic and Phil Barrett from Dassault Systèmes share why virtual twins are seen as essential tools in the rail industry, and where Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform comes into play.
The 3DEXPERIENCE
3DEXPERIENCE (3DX) is a collaborative business and innovation platform that provides organisations with a holistic, real-time vision of their business activity and ecosystem.
“Collaborative is the key word here,” said Barrett, AP South Rail Sales Expert for Dassault Systèmes. “What it means is that an organisation can have internal and external stakeholders working together on a project, on a centralised platform, at the same time.
“This provides for faster delivery with less risk and less waste.”
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform allows companies to create and visualise virtual twins of products, processes, and operations – from design all the way through to manufacturing and maintenance.
“If you’re building something like a tunnel or a railway, for example, it’s a big project with a lot of different stakeholders involved, from subcontractors to the government.
“The 3DEXPERIENCE platform can be used to design and build the project within a virtual environment before ‘turning any soil’.
“Any changes can be modelled and tested before going into physical build. Once in operation the platform remains in place to model any future requirements.”
Bringing data together
Tony Rakuljic, Senior Client Executive for Dassault Systèmes ANZ, said the 3DEXPERIENCE allows customers to choose what elements they want to model, from an entire system to a component.
“It could be the rail corridor infrastructure, the platforms or the operations, for example,” he said. “The technology can internally share information across service planning, fleet planning, crew planning, terminal planning and more.”
He said it allows operators to unlock data they might already have.
“It can include data from digital engineering, from Building Information Modelling, and it can also connect to data sources such as existing Enterprise Resource Planning systems and Enterprise Asset Management systems.
“You could even input geological information for tunneling projects, for example, and see – if we dig a tunnel here what else is involved, will there be a knock-on effect in other areas?’
Smarter, safer operations
Using a digital twin, operators can carry out tests in a simulated environment rather than the real world.
“If you’re going straight from design into the engineering and build side of a project, you have to do physical tests, and the physical side of rail is time-sensitive and expensive,” said Barrett.
“Some of those tests are going to fail, and you will probably have to do them over and over again until you get it right, which wastes time and money.
“In a virtual environment, you can carry out tests without those repercussions.”
Barrett said virtual twins can also keep rail crews out of harm’s way.
“Once a project is operational and people are working on it day to day, if you were to decide that you wanted to add or change something, you can model that using a virtual twin before it is implemented,” he said.
“One of the parameters of the virtual twin could be the safety of the personnel that you’re sending out to do work on the tracks.”
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform can be used to simulate various ‘what if’ scenarios, from supply chain issues to service delays or even train derailments.
“Train derailments don’t happen often, but they can happen,” said Barrett.
“We can provide modelling of a track and network, the rolling stock, the weight of the carriages if they are carrying freight, the aerodynamics, the configuration of the train etc, to reduce the risk of derailment and the loss of life, as well as financial costs that could be associated with that.”
Reducing silos between departments
Barrett said having fully integrated rail operations is the ultimate goal for operators, but many of them have not yet achieved that goal.
“They would like to have every aspect of their rail operation connected together, to become more efficient,” he said.
“This involves co-ordinating rail-related functions such as planning operations, rescheduling when there’s a disruption on the network, and sharing real-time information to allow for better decision making, improved communication and faster action.
“You’ve got a list of things that need to work together, from your track to the trains themselves to infrastructure like stations and yards to signalling systems, passenger flows, the crew and more, but these components often operate in silos, with varying levels of connectivity.”
Barrett said virtual twins can be used to help operators achieve their ambition of having fully integrated rail operations.
“If physically, you are at different stages of your journey towards a fully integrated rail operation, you can model that fully integrated operation in the virtual world and see where you would like it to go.
“The virtual twin then becomes a decision-making tool in terms of what you’re going to integrate next, or what project you’re going to invest in.
“In can help with everything from optimising rail crew operations and improving fleet management to maximising network and service capacity.”
By validating designs and processes early through virtual testing and simulation, rail operators can streamline project timelines while ensuring compliance with safety and engineering standards.
“Legal and regulatory teams can oversee the entire process using the 3DEXPERIENCE,” Barrett said.
“This improves stakeholder confidence throughout the project cycle.”
Going green
The 3DEXPERIENCE can also help operators in their journey to become more sustainable.
“One of the trends we’re seeing with our customers, particularly in freight, because freight trains are typically diesel, is an interest in fleet decarbonisation,” said Barrett.
“They are wondering whether to get rid of their diesel trains and buy new, battery-operated trains, or look at a hybrid approach where they have diesel-operated trains that can switch to battery, or using hydrogen batteries instead of diesel.”
A must-have for the rail industry
Barrett said that while twins cost money to build, the benefits make the investment more than worthwhile.
“Rail operations management is complex, and traditional approaches – with data silos and disjointed processes – don’t really cut it,” he said.
“By providing an organisation’s entire ecosystem with a single version of the truth, the 3DEXPERIENCE sets the stage for a new era of excellence in rail infrastructure management and end-to-end rail operations.
“Virtual twins are no longer an optional extra for rail operators – they are a must have.”
