AECOM has played a key role in enabling the extension of the Manchester Metrolink, a major light rail system in the UK that will transport 22 million passengers a year. Strategically important to the Metrolink is a new 5.5km light rail rapid transit scheme — Trafford Park Line — which provides a sustainable link to destinations such as the Imperial War Museum, Old Trafford and the Intu Trafford Centre.
The route, which opened eight months ahead of program, comprises shared and segregated on-street running and six tram stops, and involved the reconfiguration and design of 14 signal-controlled junctions and works alongside 1.5km of the Manchester Ship Canal, as well as the design and analysis of over twenty new and legacy structures.
Digital processes were key to success. Building on lessons learned from earlier phases, as well as the needs of various user and stakeholder groups, we developed the design in a shared Building Information Modelling BIM environment, producing a comprehensive BIM model. This enabled us to create a driver simulation model to train new drivers in a virtual world.
Collaborative forums at each design gateway — attended by designers, constructor and client — assisted in identifying clashes during Preliminary Design, with the 3D model at the heart of these discussions. The model also contained all CDM and Hazard Identification risks in the form of 3D beacons at their identified locations, which ensured designs progressed with these concerns in mind.
Between 2015 and 2020 we produced more than 12,000 design deliverables across 16 different design disciplines, involving 780 AECOM staff from 18 offices.