Rhomberg Sersa secures longterm framework agreement for the renewal of switches.
The switchless project, which is based on a sole contractor agreement, is being implemented in close cooperation with swiss federal railways.
This is the first framework agreement of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) in the field of switch renewal and Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group has secured it: over the next three to five years, over 350 switches and sidings of the SBB network throughout Switzerland are to be renewed in over 100 individual projects. The contract covers the entire range of services from planning and ordering of materials, early coordination of timings with SBB, logistics and transport to execution and commissioning. The holistic, collaborative approach was without doubt one of the reasons for winning the contract. Therefore, the teams of the client and contractor as well as the planning offices see themselves as one unit, working closely together, jointly managing the project and driving it forward. They don’t call themselves the ‘Switch Team’ for nothing. On the other hand, the value-added chain in the entire life cycle of the overarching project and the sub-projects is aimed at generating the greatest possible benefit for the customer.
In the project launch phase in the first half of 2020, therefore, the aim was also to analyse SBB's internal processes for switch planning and work preparation and to identify room for improvements. The special form of cooperation in the ‘Switch Team’ made it possible to prioritise the project steps that are decisive for the actual creation of value – steps for the renewal of switches – and to align efficiency increases accordingly. In this dynamic cooperation, optimisations are also applied in practice using LEAN approaches.
The Rhomberg Sersa project organisation consists of an overall project manager and the project managers for planning and execution. In order to guarantee an optimum construction process in the long term, close contact is maintained to ensure that the experience gained from the execution is incorporated into the planning. With the integration of work preparation phases, those responsible can be efficiently prepared for the implementation projects, as the foremen and project managers involved are introduced to the sub-projects at an early stage and can contribute their experience. SBB's aim of implementing infrastructure works using BIM methodology is also pursued in the Switchless framework agreement. The key applications are:
- Scan2BIM: Mobile mapping as the basis for (partially automated) inventory modelling before project planning and start of execution.
- BIM2Field: Machine control data is generated from the BIM model.
- Field2BIM: As-built data from the execution feeds the as-built model as the basis for operation and maintenance.
In this calendar year, the focus is on preparing for the implementation projects in 2021. Around 20 large switch renewal projects are planned, each with several switches. Alongside these intensive preparations, however, the first model projects have already been implemented – such as the renewal of 13 switches at the Basel marshalling yard which was launched in June this year. The project was successfully completed thanks to the great commitment of all those involved. The initial findings are now being integrated into the planning of the 2021 implementation projects with a view to continuous improvement.
The ‘Switch Team’ is highly committed to planning and implementation and is therefore very confident that the sub-projects of the framework agreement can be completed with the experienced team components both on schedule and in perfect quality.
