Re-envisioning the Construction of a US$240 Billion GCC Railway Industry

Autodesk, a leader in 3D design and engineering participated at the 2017 Middle East Rail event where it showcased its sophisticated design and engineering software specific for rail network infrastructure. Known for driving the future of design, the organization highlighted how Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems can work with emerging technologies such as Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and generative design to help developers reimagine the future of railway transportation.

Commenting on Autodesk’s participation Louay Dahmash, Head of Autodesk Middle East said: “The future of rail should not just be limited to railway lines and metro stations. It should be the pillars on which engineers design future cities for population expansion and changing environments. Technologies like IoT and cloud computing that were considered leading edge just a few years ago, are now central to planning and designing infrastructure projects, including rail networks.”

Big Data and the IoT are two rapidly emerging technologies that can emphatically redefine the development of the transportation industry to include new ways in which rail and automotive vehicles communicate with each other, the environment and communities, paving the way for a truly integrated and inter-modal transport solution that thrives on sustainability.

“Our focus at the 2017 Middle East Rail exhibition is to showcase our exceptional software and systems and how it is evolving with Big Data, the IoT, virtual reality, augmented reality and various other technologies to key decision makers, designers, architects and engineers in the region.  Our software imparts the most innovative tools for key stakeholders to build a highly efficient and interconnected transportation network, impacting the productivity of smart cities of the future,” added Dahmash.

The GCC is investing significantly to develop an exceptional railway network and industry. In fact a recent report by Terrapinn Middle East in collaboration with Ventures ONSITE, revealed that the total value of GCC rail projects in the pipeline stands at over US$240 billion, with US$69 billion worth of projects currently under construction.

Governments across the Middle East are quickly realizing the importance of smart cities in terms of cost-saving. In a recent study conducted by an international third party commissioned by Smart Dubai Government (SDG) – the technology arm of Smart Dubai – it was found that the government had saved on average US$97.5 million per year since 2003 with infrastructure management.

According to Dahmash, equipping designers and engineers with the state-of-the-art software and tools to develop an interconnected railway, infrastructure and smart city network will only enhance cost-savings and accelerate the realization of the objectives set up by countries in their respective national strategies – such as UAE Vision 2021, Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030.

During the 2017 edition of Middle East Rail, Autodesk delivered a keynote on the future of how railways are planned, designed, built and managed highlighting BIM and emerging technologies like Big Data and the IoT.

Furthermore, Autodesk engaged with audiences at the technology theatre providing key insights on the benefits of BIM and how software can help accelerate the development of an efficient and highly sustainable railway network to build interconnected and collaborative communities of the future.

Autodesk also be participated at the exhibition to create an immersive experience for visitors using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in an effort to showcase the future of an interconnected rail and transportation network.