BIM Model for Railway Intermediate Station: Transportation Perspective

Abstract

As a result of the imposed war on Syria since 2011 until now, most Syrian cities have been completely or partly devastated on multiple levels. This urge the needs for developing a comprehensive, balance and sustainable reconstruction strategy. Transportation sector in Syria was subjected to vandalism and systematic destruction. Therefore, the reconstruction strategy should take into account the need to rehabilitate, restore or create vital axes to connect all Syrian cities. Maintaining existed railway lines or constructing new lines require expanding railway stations to meet the expected traffic flow for both passengers and cargo. On the other hand, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been crystallized as a new technological concept in the construction industry. It is considered a revolution that has transformed the way in which engineering facilities and infrastructures are designed, analyzed, constructed and managed. In such context, the author has applied BIM technology for modeling a real case of railway intermediate station called XiaMen railway station, China. When the modeling process was finished, the station model allows the author to have the needed documentation of station simultaneously. Besides, this model highlights any possible conflicts or design mistakes before the real construction starts. This study makes a novel contribution by providing a new method for 3D digital railway station that motivates designers and contractors to carry out BIM in this vital sector. It paves the way to support the reconstruction phase with modern technologies and its applications.