Managing risk for complex high-speed rail construction
Geo&Domus relies on Trimble automated total stations and Trimble 4D Control software to monitor ground movement and ensure safety along the A4 highway during high-speed rail construction.
Key achievements
Solutions leveraged
Summary
Background
Managing risk on a strategic infrastructure project
The new Brescia Est-Verona high-speed/high-capacity (AV/AC) rail line is a strategic project located within the Mediterranean Corridor of the Trans-European Transport Network, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Spanning approximately 48 km across two regions, three provinces, and 11 municipalities, the infrastructure includes 23.4 km of embankments, 6.5 km of cuttings, 0.9 km of viaducts, and 16.8 km of tunnels. The line runs largely alongside existing infrastructure, running parallel to the A4 highway for about 30 km and aligned with the current railway line for 8 km.
Constructing this major infrastructure in a heavily anthropized area presents significant interference challenges with the surrounding urban and transport network. A primary concern is its interaction with the A4 highway, a vital artery carrying over 100,000 vehicles daily. To manage site safety and risk, CEPAV Due Consortium — the general contractor building the line for Rete Ferroviaria Italiana — appointed Geo&Domus Srl to provide technical and topographic assistance across the entire construction site.
Solution
Ensuring site safety with automated monitoring
To guarantee safety for workers and the public during ongoing construction, Geo&Domus installed an automated topographic monitoring system along the Brescia Est-Sommacampagna section. The system continuously tracks absolute and differential movements of the highway bed to ensure adjacent work does not jeopardize road stability or related structures, triggering countermeasures if predefined thresholds are reached.
Because the application demanded high accuracy and reliability under intense outdoor use exposed to variable weather conditions, seven Trimble S9 0.5” Finelock DRHP automated total stations were installed at fixed positions along a 40 km stretch. The solution utilizes Trimble DR HP high-precision distance measurement, gearless Trimble MagDrive motorization, and Trimble SurePoint technology, which maintains pointing accuracy even in windy conditions. The total stations are cable-connected to Trimble Power Units (TPUs) equipped with solar panels, backup batteries for night operations, UMTS routers, and antennas.
The hub of the system is Trimble 4D Control (T4D) software, hosted on virtual machines for continuous operation and reliability. T4D allows remote management of field instrumentation and real-time visualization and analysis of collected data.
Results
Real-time analysis and reliable risk mitigation
The automated system performs user-defined measurement cycles, taking distance readings first on reference prisms and then on monitoring prisms. T4D combines these readings with temperature and pressure data to apply necessary atmospheric and geometric corrections.
Through T4D’s web interface, users can check system status, verify that all target points are measured, and perform detailed analyses. Operators can visualize 3D displacements relative to a design axis (such as the highway) and compare movement components directly against warning and alarm thresholds. If deformations exceed predefined tolerances or anomalies occur — such as missing readings due to obstructed or bumped prisms — the software automatically sends SMS, email, or web notifications to key personnel. T4D also generates customizable, shareable reports for all project stakeholders.
By leveraging Trimble technology for continuous remote analysis, decision-makers receive early warnings of potential risks, enabling timely mitigation actions to maintain safety along the highway.
