Content supplied by Autodesk, with insights from Steven Bloomer, Digital Solutions Leader, GHD
As transport infrastructure projects grow in scale and complexity, seamless collaboration across disciplines is becoming critical to successful delivery. For rail – and increasingly for roads and broader civil infrastructure – interoperability is no longer optional; it is foundational.
Steven Bloomer, Digital Solutions Leader at GHD, has seen this firsthand. “Stronger data interoperability can support the delivery of complex rail projects,” he notes, highlighting how disconnected workflows can quickly become a barrier to progress on large-scale infrastructure.
Moving beyond file-based workflows
Major infrastructure projects bring together multiple stakeholders, each working in different systems and formats. Traditionally, teams have relied on sharing entire files or models – often leading to version control issues, duplicated effort and delays.
Autodesk is helping address this challenge through Data Exchange, enabling a shift from file-based workflows to data-centric collaboration. Instead of transferring complete models, project teams can share only the relevant subsets of data required for each discipline.
Bloomer explains that connecting multi-disciplinary design workflows in this way allows teams to work more effectively across complex projects, improving coordination and reducing inefficiencies.
Enabling smarter, faster decisions
With connected data workflows, teams gain access to consistent, up-to-date information across the project lifecycle. This improves visibility and allows stakeholders to make more informed decisions earlier – reducing the risk of rework.
As Bloomer highlights, these approaches help multidisciplinary teams reduce rework and make better-informed decisions, particularly in complex rail environments where coordination challenges are amplified.
Autodesk Data Exchange supports this by enabling:
- Targeted data sharing, reducing unnecessary file transfers
- Improved coordination across design, engineering and delivery teams
- Faster decision-making with access to real-time insights
- Greater efficiency through streamlined, connected workflows
By enabling object-level, cloud-based data sharing, teams can collaborate across a broad ecosystem of tools while maintaining alignment and control.
Scaling across roads and civil infrastructure
While these capabilities have been demonstrated in complex rail projects, the same principles apply across roads, highways and other transport infrastructure.
As governments continue to invest in major infrastructure programs, the ability to connect data across teams and systems will be key to improving project outcomes. By moving towards interoperable, data-driven workflows, infrastructure organisations can unlock greater productivity, mitigate risk and deliver more resilient assets.
As Bloomer’s experience shows, interoperability is not just a technical capability – it is a critical enabler of better project delivery across the infrastructure sector.
Learn more: https://www.autodesk.com/au/industry/transportation
