Standardization of technical information on railway projects to obtain performance indicators

Abstract

During the last decades, there has been a significant evolution of rail transport. The need to standardize technical and economic information is emphasized to guarantee the optimization of construction and operation activities, as well as the challenge of developing databases with robust and reliable information that can be transferred and used throughout the whole life cycle of constructed assets. ProNIC (Portuguese abbreviation for Protocol for the Standardization of Construction Technical Information) isa research project that developed a methodology (into a computer tool) to standardize information for the lifecycle of constructed assets, while enabling the benchmarking of similar types of construction projects. This methodology has already been implemented in the building subsector. The present paper shows the results of the implementation of ProNIC methodology in railway infrastructures. Based on the analysis of different real projects, a normalized work breakdown structure (WBS) for railway works is developed, leading to the updating of the characterization of railway infrastructures in ProNIC. All documentation produced is implemented in ProNIC. To validate this method, a case study (section of a ballast railway with 29 km) is used to conceptualize the WBS proposed and the created technical contents and specifications. These developments, provided the conception of standard elements capable of being adapted to any case of railway works, based on the Portuguese and European legal standards and frameworks. A national referential, to be used in all types of public railway infrastructure projects, is defined.