November 2021 - 44

BEST PRACTICES
Infrastructure Assets
How Change Can
Redefine Rail Transit
Asset Management
By Narinder Manku
Solution Marketing Manager,
Rail Asset Performance,
Bentley Systems
EXTON, PA * In addition to the challenges
of shorter deadlines, smaller budgets
and skills shortages, rail agencies need to
overcome problems associated with aging
infrastructure, climate change, and
more recently, the impact of COVID-19.
To meet these challenges and ensure
their networks are safe and reliable,
transit agencies are driving their decisions
based on the data they collect, create
and manage. If data isn't already their
most valuable asset, it will be very soon.
The rail industry is changing
We cannot ignore the negative effect
COVID-19 has had on all our lives,
but we must also recognize that it has
created new opportunities and can be
a driver for change.
Technology can help to improve
business outcomes across the asset
lifecycle, and the case for using proven
applications to increase productivity,
quality and safety only becomes stronger
as the world emerges from the pandemic
into a " new normal. "
These improvements, driven by data,
will be realized through smarter decision-making
that helps optimize design,
leverage different materials or methods
of construction and target the right
work, in the right place, at the right time,
during operations and maintenance.
Redefining best practices
Recently, the American Society of Civil
Engineers published its 2021 infrastructure
report. Rail and transit scored
grades B and D respectively, and the
lack of federal support is a main reason
for the current combined state of good
repair backlog of US$221 billion.
It is clear that something needs to
change. Lessons learned in other industries
can help redefine best practices in
rail transit as agencies strive to maintain
networks in a state of good repair. Take
the work of Collins Engineers, which is
redefining the inspection process needed
for maintenance, rehabilitation and
replacement of existing bridges.
As with rail, the starting point for
any bridge maintenance project is a detailed
understanding of existing asset
conditions. Traditional collection of
this information is labor intensive, often
requires expensive equipment and can
be dangerous work for those involved.
However, by going digital and using
Microsoft's HoloLens 2 and software
from Bentley Systems to create a digital
twin, Collins Engineers is helping
departments of transportation (DOTs)
to perform virtual bridge inspections.
This game-changing approach enables
Collins Engineers to bring an exact
replica of a bridge into the office and
means DOT inspectors can conduct up
to 90 percent of the inspection without
leaving their desk - making the overall
inspection faster, more efficient, safer
and less expensive.
Reimagine the future
Since the construction of the first railroads,
the professionals in the industry
have focused their efforts on improving
rail and transit and making it the safest,
fastest and smartest means of moving
people and goods.
In this ever-changing, constantly
connected and highly complex industry,
going digital has the potential to rewrite
the rulebook. And as remote inspections
allowed Collins Engineers to revolutionize
bridge work, going digital provides
agencies and their supply chains the
opportunity to reimagine the future of
rail and transit for a better tomorrow.
44 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2021
Infrastructure
Asset Management:
Leveraging the Benefits
of Integrated Systems
By Samrat Valani,
Senior Director, Asset
Operations, Transurban
ALEXANDRIA, VA * Managing infrastructure
assets can be surprisingly
complex to those unfamiliar with the
transportation industry. A road is not
" just a road " but a collection of components
that each contribute to a seamless
and safe driving experience.
Transurban operates and maintains
the Washington-area Express Lanes in
collaboration with the Virginia Department
of Transportation (VDOT) through
a public-private partnership (P3). P3s can
be an important tool for governments that
are looking for cost-effective and low-risk
ways to manage infrastructure assets.
These types of partnerships allow private
capital to be leveraged for public goods
and puts the responsibility of management
on the private operator rather than
the local DOT, offsetting taxpayer expense
through maintenance and operations.
Improving infrastructure is often a
reactive process, but there are benefits
to adopting a proactive approach. When
approaching the management of the express
lanes, Transurban recognized the
need for and value to be derived from
using a centralized asset management
(CAM) platform.
Optimizing the asset's life cycle is best
done through a centralized system that
catalogs the full component inventory, layers
in real-time information and optimizes
proactive maintenance to preempt more
costly and extensive future maintenance
needs. Real-time monitoring includes
tracking the physical and environmental
conditions around the asset.
Benefits of a proactive asset management
approach include improved road
safety, operational and maintenance cost
savings and minimized future risks.
Best practice approach to CAM
To centralize asset management, an or
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November 2021

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