Another episode of The Engineers Collective by New Civil Engineer, and another week spent working from home for most of us.

This week Claire Smith, editor of NCE, is back with Rob Horgan, NCE’s news editor. The pair discuss TfL funding woes and pending spending reviews by central government.

Hammersmith Bridge and the need for turning plans into action for the benefit of the industry are the main parts of a discussion on why 2020 is not shaping up to be as expected in the world of engineering and infrastructure.

Then, the pair are joined by Tim Wood, director of Northern Power House Rail. Tim talks about what the North needs to do to ensure a lasting future of those with expert skills, and why we need to avoid falling back into a boom, bust, skills landscape.

He addresses the need to keep the North moving throughout the next decade or more of pending rail revolution, and how the UK’s economy needs rebalancing.

The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems. Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley’s software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Find out more at www.bentley.com

In the next episode of The Engineers Collective, Nadine Buddoo (features editor, New Civil Engineer) interviews Jamie Cudden, the smart city lead at Dublin City Council. Jamie established the 'Smart Dublin' regional initiative in 2015 and is passionate about all things smart cities, and loves emerging tech trends.

Together the pair muse about what it takes to make a 'smart city' and what kind of buy-in is required of a city's stakeholders. Jamie explains some of the solutions already in place in Dublin and the benefits they have for the city, as well as the impact of Covid-19 on the initiative. 

City planning, new tech solutions, cost, accessibility, and data protection are all on the topic list in this fascinating insight from one of the UK's leaders in smart cities. 

The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems. Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley’s software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Find out more at www.bentley.com

Join Nadine Buddoo and Rob Horgan from New Civil Engineer as they discuss the month's top stories, including the tighter Covid restrictions and their impact on the industry, and all things Hammersmith Bridge. The pair also talk about the role of independent regulators, leading nicely into this month's guest.

This month the podcast features Deputy Director, Engineering and Asset Management at Office of Rail and Road, Steve Fletcher. Steve tells us all about the ORR and its role in regulation, describing its responsibilities and the relationships it keeps, in particular with Network Rail.

As an independent regulator, ORR operate within the framework set by UK and EU legislation and are accountable through Parliament and the courts. They are an independent statutory body, with powers vested by Parliament in their governing board. Find out more at www.orr.gov.uk. 

The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems. Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley’s software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Find out more at www.bentley.com 

This month’s episode of The Engineers Collective features Steve Cockerell and Shannon Clemons from Bentley Systems talking to NCE’s news editor Rob Horgan about Bentley Systems’ The Year in Infrastructure 2020 Conference. Due to COVID-19, Bentley Systems decided to cancel or postpone all the company’s physical conferences and events in 2020. This new digital conference format will bring together, now for a broader global community, the thought leadership, networking, and learning content that Bentley conference attendees have come to expect.

Hear from Steve and Shannon about what’s happening during YII 2020 and why you should attend the conference!

The Year in Infrastructure Conference is Going Digital – Oct. 20, 21 and 27

Register now to have full complementary access to live and on-demand content as part of the Year in Infrastructure 2020 Conference. Conference participants will receive exclusive access to a wide range of content that is relevant to infrastructure professionals in every role and phase of the lifecycle. Learn from your peers and exchange ideas on advancing infrastructure. 

The YII 2020 speaker-lineup includes:

• Greg Bentley, CEO
  

Don’t miss out on this opportunity, reserve your virtual seat now at https://yii.bentley.com

This week editor of New Civil Engineer Claire Smith and news editor Rob Horgan address the multiple landslides and project delays caused by climate change in Scotland, including the recent tragic landslip which caused a train to derail and people to lose their lives. There’s also a nod to state of play with job losses in the industry – could we be facing an even more dire skills shortage in the near future? 

Later, the pair are joined by Andy Lord, managing director of TfL’s London Underground, the world’s oldest railway. The conversation focuses on the impact of Covid-19 on the underground’s daily operations and services, but also touches on the Northern Line extension and the impact of the recently announced (further) delays to Crossrail and the handover of the Elizabeth Line. 

The Engineers Collective is a bimonthly podcast released by New Civil Engineer, powered by Bentley Systems. 

Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley’s software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Find out how leading rail organizations like Skanska, Costain, STRABAG Joint Venture, and Mass Rapid Transit Corporation are Going Digital in Rail with Bentley and take a 3-minute survey to see how you compare against others on the five levels of digital maturity at www.bentley.com/going-digital-rail 

In this episode of The Engineers Collective the New Civil Engineer team talk with WSP’s Simeon Butterworth and Amey’s Principal Engineer, Traffic and Transportation, Steve Tilby about the use of pop-up infrastructure to support more walking and cycling during the pandemic.The pair explain how government funding is allowing these schemes to evolve and develop more permanent changes to our lives. Together they also ask what consideration and planning goes into transitioning these temporary solutions to permanent.

The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems.

Bentley’s solution for the road industry provides construction-driven engineering to help accelerate project delivery of road networks, unifying design and construction processes from concept to completion. Road agencies across the globe use Bentley’s applications to provide better visibility for project teams, management, and owners to understand the implications of design decisions early in the process and gain improved performance across the asset’s lifecycle. The multi-discipline design capabilities in OpenRoads give road engineers the tools they need to address rigorous transportation design engineering, corridor development, and environmental engineering needs. These capabilities help road owners to mitigate risk, increase operational efficiency, and ensure regulatory compliance. To learn more about Bentley’s solutions for roads https://www.bentley.com/en/goingdigital/roads/going-digital-in-roads

In this episode Rob Horgan and Claire Smith discuss the stories dominating the news, including the abundance of roads-related announcements and the further delays to the Stonehenge Tunnel, as well as the challenge of planning delays for other projects.

Later, Rob is joined by the CEO of the Thames Tideway project, Andy Mitchell. Andy talks about the impact of coronavirus on delivery of the project and the industry-leading ways they’ve attempted to combat the issues arising from the pandemic.

This episode also focuses on Tideway’s impressive health, safety and wellbeing activities including their ground-breaking EPIC actor-led simulation, a course now completed by over 20,000 industry professionals.

Costain, VINCI Construction Grands Projets and Bachy Soletanche (CVB) JV Industrializes Delivery of UK’s Largest Water Infrastructure Project

The 25-kilometer long Thames Tideway Tunnel will upgrade London’s 150-year-old sewer network, preventing overflow into the River Thames. CVB is responsible for the GBP 850 million eastern section of the tunnel, which includes 10 kilometers of tunnel works located 70 meters beneath central London, as well as six shaft sites. Using Bentley’s collaborative digital applications, the project team provided accurate visualization of the construction process, improving communication and understanding among site operatives and stakeholders to streamline workflow, decision-making, and approval processes.

To find out more about the project, including how CVB saved more than 90 days in the construction program, equaling GBP 300,000 in direct cost savings, visit https://www.bentley.com/en/project-profiles/2019/cvb-jv_thames-tideway-east

As the world cautiously emerges from months of Covid-19 lockdowns, The Engineers Collective looks at what impact the coronavirus is having on planning public spaces, specifically in relation to railway stations.

Joining NCE editor Claire Smith and news editor Rob Hogan on the latest episode of the podcast are Atkins technical director Cameron MacDonald and Bentley Systems director for product management and facilities engineering Eduardo Lazzarotto. The pair explain the benefits of pedestrian modelling software – such as Bentley’s Legion software – and outline the growing importance to track movements in a post-Covid world.

Atkins (member of SNC-Lavalin Group) is Going Digital with Bentley, working with its clients to develop safer public places by leveraging LEGION Simulator (available with new subscription fees waived through September 30, 2020 at www.bentley.com/bentley-social-distancing) to enhance the safety of social infrastructure assets such as rail and metro stations, tramways, airports, shopping malls, and museums.

Find out more, including how you can accelerate your pace of possible by taking Bentley’s digital assessment at www.bentley.com/going-digital-rail

In this edition of The Engineers Collective, the New Civil Engineer team talk about all things future-projects, including the impact of our change in travel habits and the possibility of an HS2 extension to Scotland.

Later, they are joined by the National Grid’s project director for London Power Tunnels 2, Gareth Burden. Gareth addresses the ramping up of a major infrastructure project in the middle of a pandemic, and helps us understand the massive scale and complexity of the full London Power Tunnels project. The conversation is framed in the context of coronavirus, of course, and the changing levels of power consumption and demand as a result.

The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems. Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley’s software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Find out more at www.bentley.com

This week’s release features AECOM’s director of digital practice & technology, Michael Warren, as he talks us through the firm’s digital journey. Specifically Michael talks us through the impacts of Covid-19 on the industry at wide and adaptation of digital practices.

The Engineers Collective is powered by Bentley Systems. Around the world, engineers and architects, constructors and owner-operators are using Bentley’s software solutions to accelerate project delivery and improve asset performance for transportation infrastructure that sustains our economy and our environment. Together, we are advancing infrastructure.

Learn how AECOM empowered a multi-discipline design team to design a highway crossing project and improve traffic operations and safety.

Find out more by visiting www.bentley.com/en/goingdigital/roads/aecom