Download PDF
Bentley > Case Studies > Digital Twins Revolutionize Sweco Nederland's Delivery of Bergen’s Light Rail Extension
Bentley Logo

Digital Twins Revolutionize Sweco Nederland's Delivery of Bergen’s Light Rail Extension

Technology Category
  • Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
  • Sensors - Temperature Sensors
Applicable Industries
  • Cement
  • Construction & Infrastructure
Applicable Functions
  • Logistics & Transportation
  • Product Research & Development
Use Cases
  • Digital Twin
  • Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Services
  • System Integration
  • Testing & Certification
The Challenge
Sweco Nederland (Sweco NL) was tasked with extending Bergen, Norway’s Bybanen light-rail system to promote urban development and reduce pollution. The NOK 6.2 billion project involved adding eight new stops, including an underground depot and two tunnels totaling 4.5 kilometers in length. The project required an optimal design that connects to existing infrastructure within a limited footprint and aligns conflicting stakeholder interests and needs. The project team consisted of 18 engineering disciplines spread across five countries, using different software, and included 24 contracts. The team faced challenges surrounding data integration, alignment, change management, collaboration, and communication. Traditional manual processes were deemed insufficient due to the project's complexity, client requirements, and overall scale. The team required a new, digital-driven approach to successfully deliver the design on a tight timeline.
About The Customer
Sweco Nederland, B.V. is a leading engineering consultancy firm based in the Netherlands. The company is part of the Sweco Group, Europe's leading architecture and engineering consultancy. Sweco NL is known for its innovative and sustainable design and planning solutions across a wide range of sectors, including transportation, water, environment, and energy. For the Bergen Light Rail project, Sweco NL collaborated with its client Bybanen Utbygging and sister company Sweco Norway to deliver a user-focused transport solution that would establish the light rail as the backbone of the public transport system in Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city.
The Solution
Sweco NL established an open, connected data environment using ProjectWise to support coordination among the 18 geographically dispersed engineering disciplines and integrate the multisourced data. The platform offered interoperability, helping to share data among Bentley’s applications and also with third-party applications, ensuring that accurate information was continuously available to all team members. The team began creating 3D models from the outset, housing more than 60,000 files to coordinate over 450 models. The connected data environment facilitated real-time information sharing of trusted data, crucial to maximizing productivity, accelerating design, and optimizing construction. Sweco NL also used Bentley’s iTwin Services to incorporate engineering data from various sources into a living digital twin. The digital twin was continuously synchronized and aligned and automatically tracked changes, regardless of the design technology used by the multiple disciplines. This approach kept failures to a minimum and optimized resources.
Operational Impact
  • The use of Bentley's iTwin Services and a connected data environment revolutionized Sweco NL's project delivery process. The digital twin approach enabled every team member to visualize and understand what changes were happening over time, see the impact on the design, and respond quickly and effectively. This resulted in measurable benefits in design review workflows by visualizing changes and leveraging insights to make informed decisions. The integrated digital solution allowed multiple disciplines across multiple locations and multiple vendors to seamlessly share and coordinate 3D models, streamlining design workflows. The digital twin also made it easier to share the project model with the client, meeting their expectations for an open platform that shows an up-to-date and complete model that they can look at from any laptop without requiring special software. Based on the success of this project, Sweco NL is embracing digital twins for future engineering initiatives, aiming to make digital twins using Bentley software business as usual.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Bentley applications helped reduce design time by 15%.
  • Digital twins helped track and manage change reducing construction errors by 25%.
  • Sweco NL expects iTwin Design Review to save EUR 1.5 million annually on projects of similar size.

Related Case Studies.

Contact us

Let's talk!

* Required
* Required
* Required
* Invalid email address
By submitting this form, you agree that IoT ONE may contact you with insights and marketing messaging.
No thanks, I don't want to receive any marketing emails from IoT ONE.
Submit

Thank you for your message!
We will contact you soon.