UNITY Alliance & Revizto: Transforming Rail Infrastructure Through Integrated Solutions
UNITY Alliance is a coalition of CPB Contractors, UGL, AECOM, Jacobs, and Hassell, delivering the Cross River Rail project. By leveraging digital tools, the team is tackling major transport challenges and helping build a sustainable infrastructure legacy.
- Project
Cross River Rail
- Location
Brisbane, Australia
- Project Type
Rail Infrastructure
- Project Size
10.2 km new rail line
- Resource Savings
1–2 FTE saved through automation
- Paper Savings
160,000 A3 drawings eliminated
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A Deep Dive into Seamless Digital Integration and its Tangible Benefits
Located in Brisbane, Australia, UNITY Alliance, is a conglomerate of leading infrastructure consulting and construction firms (CPB, UGL, AECOM, Jacobs and Hassell), who embarked on a journey to address one of Brisbane’s most significant public transport challenges (Cross River Rail), while creating a sustainable infrastructure legacy. The power of a cohesive Alliance, brings together industry leading professionals who are consistently at the cutting edge of technological integration.
This study provides a detailed account of the challenges, benefits, and outcomes experienced by UNITY in integrating Revizto. We highlight insights from Matt Quigley, Principal Technical Officer at AECOM's Brisbane rail team and the UNITY Alliance CAD Manager. As the CAD Manager, Matt’s primary responsibility is to develop and implement digital systems and workflows for major rail initiatives.
Put simply, I won't work on a major project that isn't using Revizto as its design coordination platform. The scheduled federation process alone has saved the project 1-2 full-time resources.
The move to Revizto
In 2019, UNITY initiated its relationship with Revizto for the Cross River Rail — Rail, Infrastructure and Systems Alliance project. During this period, UNITY evaluated several design and coordination tools. Although Revizto had been utilized within Alliance Partner’s (AECOM and Jacobs) building disciplines, it had not been applied to linear infrastructure projects.
Cross River Rail — Rail, Infrastructure and Systems project is providing infrastructure to enable the new 10.2 kilometre rail line, a second river crossing, allowing more trains to run more often and integrating with new roads and new bus services to enable a turn-up-and-go public transport system across the whole of South East Queensland.
This project will significantly improve the quality of life of the growing population in the region, help the economy keep growing, generate thousands of jobs, and activate urban development, In total, the Cross River Rail - Rail, Infrastructure and Systems project will deliver:
6 Accessibility upgraded surface rail stations
from Salisbury to Fairfield on Brisbane’s Southside,
2 upgraded surface rail stations
at Dutton Park and Exhibition,
1 new stabling yard
and maintenance facility in Brisbane’s Southside,
Augmentation
of the existing Queensland Rail Mayne Yard maintenance facility,
Rail operational systems, signalling and telecommunication works
across the Cross River Rail project.
As the CAD Manager overseeing the production of over 20,000 drawings, Matt sought to modernise the 2D markup process. In response to the fragmented "Common Data Environment", UNITY developed a solution within Revizto. This involved uploading all drawings to Revizto and capturing markups within stamped issues. The COVID restrictions solidified this approach. This digital shift also enabled tracking and reporting to be managed through Revizto dashboards. Every markup was ensured to be resolved prior to submissions.
Post-integration, UNITY has continued to refine its processes. A significant advancement allowed 2D civil layout drawings from AutoCAD to be incorporated into the 3D model, emulating functionality familiar to Revit users.
Matt highlighted the tangible benefits, pinpointing a reduction of over 160,000 A3 paper drawings. This equates to approximately 1,000 reams of paper, emphasizing both operational efficiency and a commitment to sustainability.
After integrating Revizto in late 2019, the onset of COVID restrictions emphasised its importance. We transitioned to a fully paperless system, enabling real-time global access to markups and enhancing operational efficiency.
The UNITY Alliance's Project
When discussing AECOM's latest major endeavor with Revizto, Matt Quigley shared details about the UNITY Alliance project, which focuses on supporting rail system design, integration of Cross River Rail into Queensland Rail's network, and the Exhibition Station upgrade. The work ambitiously covers:
- Rail civil and electrical operations,
- Rail systems, controls, signaling, and communications for rail operations,
- Refurbishing seven suburban stations, stretching from Dutton Park to Salisbury in Brisbane.
Notably, this complex project brings together a wide range of disciplines, some of which have historically relied solely on 2D schematic designs.
On being questioned about the most leveraged features of Revizto in the UNITY Alliance project, Matt pointed out the extensive usage across the software's suite.He emphasised the value of the 2D sheet compare tool, which significantly aided in streamlining and finalising drawing markups.
Furthermore, the project pushed the limits of the tool by not just relying on in-built features but also venturing into developing external functionalities, such as the 2D/3D AutoCAD sheet overlay.
Addressing the tangible solutions provided by Revizto, Matt highlighted the software's capability to combat the challenges of traditional silo coordination executed in the original design packages. Revizto transformed this isolated process into a holistic, collaborative environment.
Navigating Operational Challenges
In their pursuit of optimising digital workflows, UNITY encountered several challenges within their project framework. With the integration of Revizto, Matt and his team were able to devise effective solutions that not only addressed these obstacles but also revolutionised their operational efficiency.
| Challenges | Solutions |
|---|---|
| Traditional paper drawing markups lead to inefficiencies and wastage. | Transitioned to a 100% paperless system, enhancing efficiency from inception to delivery. |
| Clash detection methods were cumbersome and inefficient. | Adopted Revizto, streamlining the clash detection process and ensuring more accurate results. |
| Most design tools demanded high-specification machines, restricting access for many team members. | Leveraged Revizto's compatibility with basic specification machines, democratising access for all users. |
| Limited access to 3D models on construction sites, hindering real-time assessment and decision-making. | Integrated Revizto's field app/iPad app, allowing all site users to seamlessly access 3D models and address issues on-the-go. |
| Overlapping 2D drawings and 3D models presented challenges in verifying congruence between designs. | Utilised the 2D/3D sheet overlay feature in Revizto, offering a visually intuitive method to ensure model and drawing accuracy. |
Quantifying Revizto's ROI
In elucidating the tangible benefits that Revizto brought to UNITY’s operations, Matt Quigley highlighted the groundbreaking shifts in the 2D markup process. The transition to Revizto removed the latency commonly seen in design reviews. Instead of drafters and modelers waiting for exhaustive feedback sessions, the platform facilitated immediate markups, ensuring prompt feedback and direction. This not only reduced the time spent on design revisions but also eliminated cumbersome traditional practices.
The comprehensive audit trail offered by Revizto eradicated the need to process vast quantities of paper markups, a task that previously involved scanning and uploading to ensure quality assurance. The efficiency gained also meant that additional tools were no longer necessary for daily markup management.
Efficiency sees a marked improvement when there's clear accountability and a consolidated system for information.
Matt’s advice for companies facing challenges in securing funding or approval for Revizto is its ability to provide a comprehensive suite of features within a singular platform. While various functionalities might be pieced together using multiple software vendors, Revizto offers a cohesive solution, eliminating the need for blended systems. Recognising and replacing redundant subscriptions or processes with Revizto can lead to substantial financial savings.
Matt’s top three tips for using Revizto
The whole Revizto team is always willing to embrace innovation and tools that ultimately make our lives on a complex project like Cross River Rail easier - everyone rolls their sleeves up to help. We wouldn’t be where we are on the project without their support and dedication.
