Network Rail has engaged a tunnelling and underground construction technology start-up, HyperTunnel, to test the use of digital twins, robotics and 3D printing to provide non-disruptive tunnel construction, enlargement and repair work.
Under the R&D contract hyperTunnel’s suite of repair products and services will be trialled for the maintenance and improvement of the UK’s regional railway infrastructure, which includes approximately 650 tunnels built in the Victorian era. Project delivery is well underway, with the completion of a large-scale demonstrator due soon.
UK-based HyperTunnel is developing new methods of tunnelling that enable them to be built faster, with less risk, and in a more economical and environmentally friendly way through the application of technologies that have been proven in other industries. These include digital twins, robotics, 3D printing and digital underground surveying, supported by AI and VR.
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