InnoTrans 2022 and International Tunnel Forum of the STUVA

One of the highlights of the InnoTrans Convention in 2022 will once again be the International Tunnel Forum, organised by STUVA e. V.. The Forum accompanies the Tunnel Construction segment of the trade fair and, with its various internationally staffed and compact discussion forums, is a highlight for industry insiders at InnoTrans. This year at the International Tunnel Forum everything revolves around the two forward-looking topics "Tunnel renewal under operation" and "BIM in tunnel construction and operation". 

On both days, STUVA events take place at the CityCube Berlin, Level 3, M8 and will be moderated by STUVA e. V. CEO Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roland Leucker:

Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Tunnel renewal under operation

An efficient, modern and intact transport infrastructure is one of the keys to sustainably securing the competitiveness and attractiveness of a country. The first foundations for this were laid in Germany, Austria and Switzerland more than 150 years ago with the beginning of the railway age and thus also the first railway tunnels. Currently, well over 2,000 km of tunnels are operated by the aforementioned three DACH countries. Due to the long period of operation, many railway tunnels increasingly require partial or complete renewal in order to meet the constantly evolving technical standard and to achieve a consistently high level of line availability. These measures usually require very special organisational and logistical considerations, especially if they have to be carried out during ongoing operation. For this purpose, an up-to-date overview of which new developments are being used was compiled by internationally renowned experts in the new STUVA Expert Report 2021 on the "Renewal of traffic tunnels during operation". In the forum, the findings will be examined in greater depth, the status quo will be highlighted and innovative techniques will be presented. In addition, the question of financing will be addressed and recent experiences in implementation will be exchanged.

Participants of the podium discussion on wednesday will be:
Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Matthias Flora, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Herrenknecht AG, Schwanau Dr.-Ing. Stefan Franz, Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH (DEGES), Berlin Dr. sc. techn. Marcus Schenkel, Head of Infrastructure Projects Region Southeast, DB Netz AG, Leipzig Dipl.-Ing. Edgar Schömig, Member of the Board, Ed. Züblin AG, Stuttgart

Thursday, September 22, 2022, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

BIM in tunnel construction and operation

Location: CityCube Berlin, Level 3, M8

Digitalisation is spreading rapidly in many areas of the economy. However, it has been late to enter the construction industry, especially in the context of infrastructure. This is due in no small part to the very high complexity of the value chain in construction. However, digitalisation in the form of Building Information Modelling (BIM) is already being used for new infrastructure projects in order to achieve sustainable benefits for all participants and society. Information about structures - especially underground ones - should be made available to decision-makers quickly and in a consistent, high-quality and easy-to-read form to support individual decisions. In order to advance the BIM method in Germany, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure had presented a phased plan for the introduction of BIM in 2015. In contrast to these rather basic guidelines, the German Committee for Underground Construction (DAUB) has intensively promoted the development of concrete (BIM) action instructions for underground construction in recent years. The first recommendations have already been published in 2019 and 2020; four further parts will follow in 2022. The forum will highlight the current developments and future developments of BIM. What advantages do the recommendations issued by the DAUB bring for practice? To what extent can the Federal Government's goal of accelerating the planning and approval of infrastructure measures be implemented using BIM?

Participants of the podium discussion on thursday will be:

Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. techn. Matthias Flora, Deputy Chairman of the Board, Herrenknecht AG, Schwanau
Dr.-Ing. Stefan Franz, Deutsche Einheit Fernstraßenplanungs- und -bau GmbH (DEGES), Berlin
Dr. sc. techn. Marcus Schenkel, Head of Infrastructure Projects Region Southeast, DB Netz AG, Leipzig
Dipl.-Ing. Edgar Schömig, Member of the board, Ed. Züblin AG, Stuttgart