KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) is one of the first in Asia to leverage on cloud-based collaboration on a common data environment for its 51-kilometer Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) system’s Sungai Buloh–Serdang–Putrajaya (SSP) line.
In partnership with Microsoft’s Global ISV, Bentley Systems, MRT Corp said it aims to complete the project on-time and within budget, benefitting from a projected 35 per cent productivity increase in the design, construction and operation of this infrastructure through seamless information sharing and collaboration powered by Microsoft Azure.
In a statement today, the company said the Azure-hosted Bentley Systems platform enabled MRT Corp to increase precision of construction, reduce instances of design rework and to improve safety standards by enabling seamless synchronization and information exchange between external vendors.
It has enabled all project disciplines to work dynamically using a federated model for coordinated design, despite the participation of numerous external vendors and decentralized information on this complex project, it said.
MRT Corp director of planning and design Poh Seng Tiok said one of the key challenge faced with any mega civil construction project is ensuring seamless information exchange, and real-time collaboration among stakeholders, regardless of the platforms they are using.
“The probability for error is high if information is not managed on a common data environment, especially in a highly collaborative project like ours.
“These types of errors could lead to construction delays and increased costs due to change orders and rework to rectify issues,” he said.
Poh said MRT Corp decided to adopt a Building Information Modelling (BIM) maturity level 2 strategy for the KVMRT SSP Line, as well as the use of a Common Data Environment (CDE) for a collaborative workflow to cut the reliance of manual processes.
It is the first metro project in Asia to adopt BIM level 2, an advanced way of working that leverages digital collaboration and has become a standard for many leading governments for public-sector projects.
He said with this implementation, all parties involved can use their own 3D BIM models, but design information is shared through a common data environment, which enables any organisation to combine data with their own to create a federated BIM model.
“We have seen improvements in the execution of the SSP line, despite the increased complexities faced.
“For example, we were able to reduce the number of on-site resolution meetings which required the attendance of all stakeholders, as the Virtual Design Review allowed us to identify design clashes in earlier stages.
“More importantly, embracing digital has enabled MRTC to improve our productivity, while also enabling our workers to acquire new skillsets necessary to adhere to the BIM standards which will be mandatory in civil engineering projects from 2020,” he said.
The KVMRT SSP line project has been selected as a finalist in the BIM Advancements in Rail and Transit category in Bentley’s 2017 Be Inspired Awards programme.
The annual awards program honors the extraordinary work of Bentley users advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world.
MRT’s project is among the 51 innovative projects which will be presented as part of related infrastructure forums at Bentley’s The Year in Infrastructure 2017 Conference, October 10 until October 12 in Singapore.
Bentley Systems Asia South regional executive vice president Kaushik Chakraborty said the KVMRT project is an example of how the world’s infrastructure projects are undergoing digital transformation through the power of cloud services to improve project delivery and asset performance.
“Together with Microsoft, we are pleased to see organizations tapping the power of the cloud to realize the potential of real-time business insights and collaboration to deliver greater efficiency in a highly complex industry,” he said.