Sector 01 / 18

BIM for rail infrastructure

Lines, tunnels, viaducts and stations along a single alignment, modelled in Civil 3D and Revit and coordinated in a federated model.

At a glance

B1P Group models and coordinates railway projects: alignment and trackbed in Civil 3D, civil works, track, electric traction and rail systems in Revit, federation and checking in Navisworks, IFC delivery to the infrastructure manager's exchange information requirements. We work for design firms and contractors on new lines, track doubling, electrification and works on lines in operation, with automation for the elements repeated along the line.

The sector

What do we do on a railway project?

We start from the alignment: the Civil 3D corridor generates the trackbed, formation and minor structures, and remains the base to which the other disciplines are attached. In Revit we model civil works, track, electric traction, cable ducts and rail systems with parametric families built for the project; repeated elements (supports, masts, manholes, track reference pegs) are placed by automation that reads chainages and spacings from the alignment, so every revision carries through to the model without manual repositioning.

The federated model in Navisworks is used for coordination between disciplines and between sections of the line; the clash register and the checking reports accompany every interim delivery. When the client requires it, we write or review the BIM execution plan and manage the common data environment. For tramlines in cities, see tramways. To train your team on Civil 3D, there is the Civil 3D course.

Typical projects

  • New lines, track doubling and realignments
  • Electrification and electric traction
  • Tunnels and viaducts on the line
  • Stations and halts
  • Rail systems: signalling, telecommunications, safety systems
Rules and formats

Which rules apply in rail?

Railway infrastructure managers issue detailed exchange information requirements: model structure by section and discipline, coding, levels of information need, exchange formats, checks on deliveries. Our work starts there: the BIM execution plan responds point by point to the requirements, and our internal checks use the same rules the infrastructure manager will use.

Exchange takes place in IFC: version 4.3 (ISO 16739-1:2024) introduced entities for railways, roads and bridges, with alignment, linear placement and chainages. For public contracts, Legislative Decree 36/2023 (art. 43 and Annex I.9) and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport guidelines of 23 February 2026 continue to apply.

Typical deliverables

What do we deliver?

Deliverables vary with the stage and the information requirements; these are the most common.

PhaseHandoverWho it is for
DesignAlignment model in Civil 3D, discipline models in Revit, federated model, clash register, IFCDesign firms
TenderPre-appointment BIM execution plan, BIM execution plan after the awardDesigners and contractors
ConstructionConstruction-level models, quantities by section, phase simulation, as-built modelContractors
OperationModel with component data for maintenance, delivered to the infrastructure manager's common data environmentAsset operators
References

Why are there no project names here?

Projects in this sector belong to the clients: we do not publish names, locations or images of the assets. In our offers we list projects of the same type and, with the client's consent, someone who can confirm our work.

Why we do not publish our projects

Frequently asked questions

The questions we are asked in this sector

Do you also model electric traction and rail systems?

Yes. Electric traction, cable ducts, signalling and telecommunications are modelled in Revit with dedicated families and placed along the alignment through automation; these are the disciplines where the model saves the most time on revisions.

Do you work to the infrastructure manager's information requirements?

They are the starting point of every railway project: the model structure, coding and checks set out in the requirements go into the BIM execution plan and into our internal checks before handover.

Can you step into a project that is already under way?

Yes. We take over existing models, bring them into the structure required by the information requirements and complete them; this is the most common case on electrification and track doubling projects.

Contact

Do you have a railway line to model?

Tell us about the alignment, the disciplines and the information requirements: we will tell you how we would set up the model and what we would deliver at each stage.