Our BIM projects
Building Information Modeling
For many years now, our teams have been involved in a major transition towards construction modelling, known as Building Information Modeling (BIM). Three major projects in France and abroad stand out: Line 17 in Paris, the Abidjan metro in Côte d'Ivoire and the Manila metro in the Philippines.
The BIM method aims to digitise the project and the worksite from the preparatory phase onwards, offering numerous advantages to the project and works teams, such as: reliability of quantities and bills of quantities, synthesis and resolution of interfaces, worksite installation plan, simulation of phasing, safety analysis, catenary assembly logs, track laying plans, cable tray installation plans, etc.
Since 2022, Colas Rail in France has joined the MINERVE programme, a research and development project funded by the government as part of the Investment Plan for France: France 2030, alongside SNCF Réseau, RATP, Centrale Supelec, the University of Paris-Saclay, Irex and Kayrros. The aim of MINERVE is to establish and guarantee digital continuity throughout the lifecycle of railway infrastructures, based on the BIM method and digital twin technology. The digital twin, a key innovation in the project, will enable simulations and predictions to be made, particularly on operating disruptions and resilience to climate change.
Over and above operational efficiency, the use of these methods is part of a broader vision aimed at making the railway construction ecosystem more efficient, while contributing to the ecological transition and decarbonisation of the industry. These technological advances are not just limited to modernising processes but are also part of a responsible approach to the environment.
Artificial Intelligence project
MICADO project
At the end of 2022, the MICADO project (Intelligent Catenary Maintenance by Optical Diagnostics) was launched in France in partnership with R&D Vision, Eurotunnel, RATP and Oc'Via Maintenance. The aim of the project is to design and manufacture an accurate catenary monitoring system and a predictive model to optimise maintenance operations. It is based on cutting-edge technologies such as 3D, multispectral analysis, imaging and Artificial Intelligence (AI). MICADO represents a major advance in the field of intelligent maintenance of railway infrastructures.
AI is at the centre of this project, playing a key role in several areas:
- AI for real-time data collection and analysis
- AI for fault detection
- AI for intruder detection
- Transversal AI for data processing
The advances generated by the MICADO project point to promising prospects for the sector. By focusing on predictive maintenance, these innovations promise to significantly improve the reliability and performance of the rail network by enabling more accurate and efficient maintenance operations.
United Kindgom:
We are also testing several AI solutions in the UK:
- A solution offering equipment (GPR, GPS, electromagnetic, magnetic and metal detection sensors) and AI technology to detect buried services and create underground maps.
- A remote monitoring solution using AIVR to highlight priority engineering and safety issues on railway lines (track condition, geometry faults, vegetation, etc).
- A data capture (by drone) and management solution to monitor the progress of the worksite. The aim is to improve and automate the way data is collected on site (using AI), to quickly identify any anomalies during the work and to avoid having to revisit certain areas of the site.
