D2 Rail’s Visualisations Team Work With Amey at Ordsall Chord

D2 Rail has recently been involved in aiding the understanding of a major track installation as part of the Ordsall Chord project. With the new Ordsall Chord structure in Manchester now nearing completion, the final Switches & Crossings (S&C) units were installed in weeks 15 & 16 to enable the connection of Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria Stations for the first time. The installation would require a total of eight track panels to be installed on week 15 and four track panels on week 16. The logistics of how these would be installed required precise planning, due to the tight working constraints on the elevated viaduct railway and the volume of plant that was being used to complete the works.

Our visualisations team worked alongside Amey to produce two animations that would showcase and visualise how this work was to be undertaken. These animations were utilised in briefing meetings and were shown to all staff and project stakeholders that would be indirectly or directly involved with the installations. Along with showcasing the methodology of the construction, the animation played a key role in understanding the working constraints of the plant.

The ability to provide clash detection on proposed designs is now a common practice within the Engineering industry, yet these forms of detection only highlight objects in situ. By advancing the way 4D sequencing is shown with the inclusion of plant operation, D2 Rail are able to highlight potential clashes with existing structures, pinch points and narrow working areas, and raise the awareness for on-site operatives to ensure a safer working environment.

We are pleased to say that the installation was completed on time and as planned.

Links to the animations on the YouTube channel are located below:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr-K1jE9RK4Ul0yc3P-WJYQ

D2 Rail has an in-house team of 3D and 4D modellers that encourage the use of visualisations techniques on projects and always seek to find the areas where it can be used effectively to support and enhance the design and build process.

At D2 Rail we see the real added value of visualisations and its multiple features. Our specialists can deliver visualisation imagery for design, animation for construction sequencing and virtual reality techniques for safety talks.