How a tailored platform is transforming the coordination of major railway systems projects - developed directly from practice.
Proven in the Koralmtunnel and further developed for the Semmering Base Tunnel: a digital platform that combines Lean Construction and real-time coordination – tailored to construction-site requirements that no standard product can meet.
Deep inside the mountain, in confined spaces and working to a tight takt, tunnel construction sites do not forgive poor scheduling or uncoordinated logistics. Many trades, tight sequencing and numerous interfaces are involved. Therefore, those who maintain an overview have a decisive advantage. This is the standard to which Lean Construction Management is practised on the construction site – not as theory, but as everyday reality.
A digital platform was developed together with BII GmbH for the Semmering Base Tunnel to implement this approach consistently. The methodology of Lean Construction – visual planning, collaborative project delivery and transparency – is not merely represented in the platform but deeply embedded in it. Already proven successfully in the Koralm Tunnel, the solution consolidates all relevant Lean and logistics processes in a single system – a one-platform concept that keeps everyone involved at the same level of information.
In practice, this means that weekly look-ahead plans are developed collaboratively, clashes in time and space are identified early, and delays are highlighted and supported by specific reasons. At the same time, the platform provides a real-time view into the tunnel. Vehicles, people and equipment can be seen at all times, allowing coordination to be based on what is actually happening rather than on assumptions. An interface to the in-house storage-area app enables materials to be called off as required, without an additional login and without delay.
What began in the Koralm Tunnel and is being continued in the Semmering Base Tunnel was not developed for the construction site, but with it – step by step and directly from practice. The result is a solution tailored to the specific requirements of major railway systems projects in a way that few standard products on the market can match.
