September-October_2021 - 14

Digitization Strategy
BENTLEY BELIEVES
Digital Twins will
be the next big
digital disruption
in the industry.
rail, with the deficit expected to
exceed US$250 billion by 2029.
Meanwhile, transit ridership is
declining-a trend further compounded
by COVID-19, which
has seen some agencies experience
a 70 percent drop in passenger
numbers.
Failure to address the shortfall
for passenger rail and transit
only exacerbates the existing challenge
of ridership decline, creating
a downward spiral-unless a
change is made and the future is
reimagined.
SMRT Trains:
The Future of Rail
and Transit
There is clear evidence within projects
of Bentley users around the
world that going digital, including
the use of digital twins, is already
enabling organizations to reimagine
the future of rail and transit.
One such organization is
SMRT Trains (SMRT). The first
rail operator in Singapore, it operates
and maintains more than 282
kilometers (175.2 miles) of track.
With an average daily ridership of
more than two million people in
2020, SMRT needed a method to
keep the tracks in good condition
to avoid delays.
System reliability is measured
using mean kilometers between
failure (MKBF). To improve reliability,
SMRT set a target of one
million MKBF for all its lines-
the equivalent of traveling over
the entire network thousands
of times before seeing a service
delay of five minutes or more.
However, SMRT relied on intensive,
time-consuming and manual
maintenance planning using tens
of millions of data points per year
across separate data silos.
To enable engineers to make
optimized decisions using all relevant
data, SMRT used Bentley's
linear analytics as the basis of its
predictive decision support system
(PDSS). With the PDSS, engineers
can visualize multiple datasets in
one view to see different track subsystems,
enabling more in-depth
engineering analysis. The system
automatically pulled SMRT's existing
data, allowing engineers to
review the events leading to the
current asset condition.
As of August 2019, SMRT
achieved its one million MKBF
target. Data correlation is twice as
fast and with easy access to data,
it has significantly streamlined
multiple analyses. With prioritization
implementation, SMRT
cut hundreds of manual planning
hours and saved about 20 maintenance
train deployments annually.
Engineers also have a better
idea of work conditions, allowing
improved preparation in advance
and saving time on the site.
Reimagine the
New Normal
As the operator of a large and
busy network, SMRT is using
technology to work smarter and
move forward to continuously improve
its maintenance efficiency
and effectiveness. But smaller
networks-such as metros, shortlines
and mass transit-face similar
challenges, especially when it
comes to ensuring the continued
safe and reliable running of their
networks. So, how can these organizations
unlock the potential
of their data?
14 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021
SOME AGENCIES
experienced a
70 percent drop
in passenger
numbers during
the COVID-19
pandemic.
Historically, adopting predictive
maintenance strategies using
linear analytics has been out of
reach due to the time and cost
of deployment and configuration.
However, recent advances
in technology mean that owners
and operators of all sizes can
now improve maintenance and
renewal decisions with minimal
time and cost, achieving greater
efficiency, easier regulatory compliance
and enhanced operational
performance.
SMRT's experience serves
Narinder Manku is
Bentley Systems'
solution marketing
manager for Rail
Asset Performance.
as an example for other metros
looking to a cloud-based solution
that includes pre-configured data,
import tools and linear analytics.
Through a rapidly deployed solution,
such as AssetWise Rail Condition
Analytics, agencies can
work smarter and develop proactive
strategies using automated
key condition score reporting and
visibility into past maintenance
activities. Engineers can predict
and validate future decisions
that help improve service, safety
and reliability. These latest innovations
in linear analytics let
rail and transit owner-operators
increase the value of their track
maintenance activities, resources
and budget by completing the
right work, in the right place, at
the right time to create a safer
network for a better tomorrow.
http://www.MassTransitmag.com
September-October_2021

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