Digital Construction in Rail: Traditional concepts in the technology hype | Presentation
© 2025 Autodesk. All rights reserved.
Rail Summit 2025 Design & Make the Future of Rail
Introductions
Sergio Esteban Digital Construction Lead
FCC Railway Projects
Carlos Aquise Sr Technical Account Specialist
Autodesk
2
Digital Construction in Rail:
Traditional concepts in the technology hype
Digital Construction in Rail: Traditional concepts in the technology hype
Panama Metro
01
02
03
04
05
FCC Group
Current practices
Forward thinking ideas
Journey support
Benefits & ROI
06 Lessons learned
Leading international group
FCC Group Diversified business model
4
Image courtesy of [Name] Image courtesy of [Name]
Ranking #3 in Spain, among 10 largest construction companies in Europe and #27 in de world
FCC Construcción Leader in urban transport infrastructures
5
Image courtesy of [Name] Image courtesy of [Name]
3,500 km of railways, of which
1,500 km are High Speed lines
450 km are Metro
Metro international portfolio
Asset delivery in traditional construction contracts [no D&B]
Construction phase
What we do?
Build assets - tracks
Manage construction risks
Focused on data collection
Handover relevant data
7
Image courtesy of [Name]
Construction phase
How we do it? CDE at the core of operations Trend on functionality expansion & Integral solution
▪ ISO 19650
▪ IM system
▪ Contractual procedures
▪ Corporate procedures
▪ Auditable process
Standard functionalities
Collaboration Security Visualization
…
8
Additional functionalities
Project Management Approvals Communication
Site apps Integration
…
Asset delivery in traditional construction contracts [no D&B]
Construction phase
How we do it? CDE at the core of operations Trend on functionality expansion & Integral solution
▪ ISO 19650
▪ IM system
▪ Contractual procedures
▪ Corporate procedures
▪ Auditable process
Standard functionalities
Collaboration Security Visualization
…
9
Additional functionalities
Project Management Approvals Communication
Site apps Integration
…
Asset delivery in traditional construction contracts [no D&B]
Construction phase
How we do it? CDE at the core of operations Trend on functionality expansion & Integral solution
▪ ISO 19650
▪ IM system
▪ Contractual procedures
▪ Corporate procedures
▪ Auditable process
Standard functionalities
Collaboration Security Visualization
…
10
Additional functionalities
Project Management Approvals Communication
Site apps Integration
…
Asset delivery in traditional construction contracts [no D&B]
Integration of traditional processes into digital workflows
Current practices
11
Material approval
▪ Desktop task
▪ Site task
▪ Drawings
▪ Documents
▪ Models
▪ Integration Add-ins
▪ Revit & Navisworks
Non-Compliance Management01 02
Integration of traditional processes into digital workflows
Current practices
12
Inspection and Test Plans
▪ SmartPDF
▪ Sketching
▪ Corporate template
▪ ACC native
▪ Checklist
▪ Project template
Final inspection and Acceptance
SmartPDF vs ACC Native forms: Rail Summit 2024
03 04
https://boards.autodesk.com/rail-summit-on-demand/construction--maintenance/forms-location-and-assets-for-quality-management-in-autodesk-construction-cloud-from-engineering-to-construction-phase-102b https://boards.autodesk.com/rail-summit-on-demand/construction--maintenance/forms-location-and-assets-for-quality-management-in-autodesk-construction-cloud-from-engineering-to-construction-phase--presentation
Integration of traditional processes into digital workflows
Current practices
13
Inspection and Test Plans Final inspection and Acceptance03 04
Automations: Form signed-off > Export to pdf > upload in Docs
▪ SmartPDF
▪ Sketching
▪ Corporate template
▪ ACC native
▪ Checklist
▪ Project template
Integration of traditional processes into digital workflows
Current practices
14
▪ OCR to ACC attributes
▪ Photo management
▪ Stamps
▪ Compare
▪ Meeting management
▪ Correspondence
▪ Infra tools on ACC
▪ Asset Register – Schedule vs model based
▪ Systems & Locations – QR Codes
▪ Reference data link
Other Asset as integration tool 05 06
06 – Asset Status update ACC: Desktop & ACC mobile
Current practices
15
Laser Scan & Drones
• Pre-conditions
• Site progress
• As-built
360 images
• Overall site progress
• Key points
Fix & On board cameras
16
Image courtesy of [Name]
Current practices Reality capture
Right tool for the right job
Process to capture and digitize build assets accurately and with appropriate detail
Current practices Reality capture
Site control during works ▪ Site progress
▪ Geometry control
▪ Take-offs
▪ Quality control
Visual layer for handover stage
17
Image courtesy of [Name]
Learned for other FCC divisions more focused on O&M phases
Good practices for data collection
Plan your records
o Schedule with expected records
o Target dates and monitoring
o Dashboards
Consistent naming convention
o Check and reject
o Correct metadata
Priority on structured formats
o Insight
o ETL reuse: Extract, Transform, load
o Reporting
Quality assurance
o Align with Quality Plan
o QR codes
18
▪ Excellent for linear infrastructures
▪ FCC Geoportal – GIS Apps Catalogue
▪ Environmental impact: Storymap link [*]
▪ Geolocation: The power of where
▪ Transport routes optimization
▪ Manage heavy datasets
▪ BIM-GIS integration
19
Image courtesy of [Name]
Forward thinking ideas GIS on site
[*] Digital Metrolink Environmental Statement [DES] – not FCC deliverable
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/bba46430e72844faa3a065c34050eeae https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/bba46430e72844faa3a065c34050eeae https://powerofwhere.com/
20
Image courtesy of [Name]
Forward thinking ideas GIS on site
Tunnel progress
Geotechnical reports
Drawing navigation
▪ GIS environment with CDE links
▪ Easy implementation
▪ Suitable for tender stage
▪ Visual access to all drawing series
▪ Geographical context
21
Image courtesy of [Name]
Forward thinking ideas GIS on site
Digital formats away from DIN standard?
Real time auscultation and monitoring
22
Image courtesy of [Name]
Forward thinking ideas ‘Digital Twin’ during construction
Digital Twin in operation: Rail Summit 2023 &2024
https://boards.autodesk.com/rail-summit-on-demand/rail--metro-owners/implementing-autodesk-tandem-as-a-digital-twin-platform-for-more-sustainable-railway-operations--maintenancemp4 https://boards.autodesk.com/rail-summit-on-demand/cities-metro-owners/using-autodesk-tandem-to-create-digital-twin-models-for-railway-design
Sensors on-site
Forward thinking ideas ‘Digital Twin’ during construction
Concrete control Machine control
Walls, slabs, tunnel
• Temperature
• Strength
• Maturity
• Regression
▪ Digital Machine Interface [DMI]
▪ Digital Machine Report [DMR]
▪ Rig positioning and perforation
23
Image courtesy of [Name] Image courtesy of [Name]
Live Coaching
Journey support Enterprise Business Agreement
Live Coaching
Team coaching led by Autodesk experts
How it works:
Discovery Session Coaching Session Materials & Feedback
(10 minutes)(60-120 minutes)(30-60 minutes)
Ask-A-Specialist (AAS):
Access to our team of SME’s who captured questions and solve them, live whenever possible.
Live Coaching
Journey support Enterprise Business Agreement
Image courtesy of [Name]
From BIM 360 to ACC
Introduction to Autodesk DOCS
Naming Standards in DOCS
Markups and Comments
Content Catalog Integration
in ACC
Best practices for the new
Desktop Connector V16.X ACC BUILD Overview
Introduction to RFI in BUILD
DWG Migration for DOCS
Introduction to Autodesk
Platform Services
Introduction to FORMS
in BUILD
ASK a Specialist
Sessions
Consulting Services
Journey support Connecting Platforms – ACC Connect
Image courtesy of [Name]
The Challenge
FCC had the challenge to connect
different CDE in an automated way
The Solution
Autodesk Consulting team, developed ACC Connect recipes:
1) Automatically fill in attributes in ACC 2) Creation of history log of document changes 3) Massive bulk upload and information of generated errors
4) Help in creation of MIDP
The Result
- Provide overview of project
- Reduce human errors - Achieve ISO 19650 Compliance
ACC Connect
Consider also tangible and intangible opportunity cost
Benefits & ROI
Quantitative - time
Improve turn around times
Reduce site visits and reporting effort
Hard copies saving
Benchmark to traditional analogic processes
Forms, photos, approvals, etc…
Qualitative – risk perception
More control and risk awareness
Auditable track record
Simplify communications
Focus on added-value tasks
Single source of truth
27
It is not only what we do, but also what we not do,
for which we are accountable
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin - Molière
Change Management
Lessons Learned
28
Manage expectations
Adapt your language
Identify pain points
Reduce workload of individuals
Easy wins in day-to-day tasks
01 – Focus on people 02 – Digital as a service
Survey proposals performance
Going too far might cause disruption
Listen to end users
Simple technology layer
Prioritize on value added and on-time
To change is difficult.
Not to change is fatal
William Pollard
Too often new ideas are studied and
analyzed until they are suffocated
William Pollard
Fourteen Black paintings – Peter Gabriel
From the pain come the dream From the dream come the vision From the vision come the people From the people come the power From this power come the change
29
© 2025 Autodesk. All rights reserved.
Sergio Esteban Digital Construction Lead FCC Railway Projects
Thank you! Website FCC Construcción
Website Convensa - Railway division
Website FCC Works
Website FCC Railway Works
Carlos Aquise Sr Technical Account Specialist Autodesk
https://www.fccco.com/en/ http://www.convensa.es/en http://www.convensa.es/en http://www.convensa.es/en https://www.ciudadfcc.com/en/home https://www.ciudadfcc.com/en/contruccion-obras-ferroviarias
Image courtesy of [Name]
Questions
Image courtesy of [Name]
Questions
Slide 1 Slide 2: Introductions Slide 3 Slide 4: FCC Group Diversified business model Slide 5: FCC Construcción Leader in urban transport infrastructures Slide 6 Slide 7: Construction phase Slide 8: Construction phase Slide 9: Construction phase Slide 10: Construction phase Slide 11: Current practices Slide 12: Current practices Slide 13: Current practices Slide 14: Current practices Slide 15: Current practices Slide 16: Current practices Reality capture Slide 17: Current practices Reality capture Slide 18: Good practices for data collection Slide 19: Forward thinking ideas GIS on site Slide 20: Forward thinking ideas GIS on site Slide 21: Forward thinking ideas GIS on site Slide 22: Forward thinking ideas ‘Digital Twin’ during construction Slide 23: Forward thinking ideas ‘Digital Twin’ during construction Slide 24: Journey support Enterprise Business Agreement Slide 25: Journey support Enterprise Business Agreement Slide 26: Journey support Connecting Platforms – ACC Connect Slide 27: Benefits & ROI Slide 28: Lessons Learned Slide 29: From the pain come the dream From the dream come the vision From the vision come the people From the people come the power From this power come the change Slide 30 Slide 31 Slide 32