Avanti West Coast Stations 3D Virtual Survey

In 2021, we were proud to support Avanti West Coast and First Group using the power of 3D visualisation. Our capture service produced 3D virtual tours and digital twins for all their mainline railway stations. These visual surveys now help the property team manage, maintain, and improve each station efficiently.

A key part of the Avanti West Coast franchise is the numerous stations they operate from.  With sites exceeding half a million square feet, and some dating back to the mid 1800’s, the day-to-day upkeep and ongoing development of the sites is an unenviable and time consuming task.

The project was ambitious. Not just because of the scale, but also the complexity and dynamic nature of working railway stations. With trains and passengers always moving through the site, the team needed a flexible approach to capture each space successfully. It was also a task that would push the limits of this emerging technology.

We successfully delivered the digital capture of the 16 stations and believe this is a first in the UK, with the creation of these train station 3D virtual spaces providing a complete view, encompassing the full extent of the demise at each location. Both public and non-public areas, building interiors, underpasses, tunnels, undercrofts, car parks, bridges, platforms etc. were all included, and we delved into areas where few people visit. Despite ghost stories at many older stations, we never managed to capture anything spooky in the images!

Avanti now have a fully immersive and feature rich set of 3D virtual walkthrough environments for all their stations. This not only gives them a visual condition survey, but also can support day-to-day troubleshooting and projects. All areas can be viewed remotely online and shared with collaborators such as Network Rail.

With the stations spread from Rugby to Carlisle, the immediate and obvious benefit is the time-saving reduction in unnecessary site visits by colleagues and contractors. Visualising, checking access, and measuring features in the virtual environment improves communication, speeds responses, and reduces unnecessary costs.

A key aspect for Avanti is the management of all the physical assets within the stations. These being equipment and facilities integral to supporting customers, and the running of the railway. Media tags in the virtual environment strengthen asset management by being able to link asset locations to identification details and documentation.

Along with providing a virtual 3D walk-through environment, the scans also delivered accurate 3D data. This further develops the principle of creating a ‘digital twin.’
The 3D data enabled a complete set of CAD schematic layouts as part of the project scope.
These updated drawings and 3D data now help support projects and initiatives across the business.