Integrating BIM and GIS in railway projects: A critical review

The railway plays a significant role in human life by providing safe, reliable, costeffective services, which are environmental and drive economic growth. Significant decisions are taken at early stage of rail projects which need effective tools to avoid rework and save time, cost and increase work efficiency. Indeed, the continuous upgrading of this sector is needed to respond to technological advances, environmental change and increased customer demands. Integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information systems (GIS) is promising since the scope of BIM usually does not extend beyond the footprint of the “building”; it does not provide geospatial data. Therefore, integrating BIM with GIS provides a complete picture of the project. However, this integration is challenging especially in rail projects as they are amongst the most complicated projects and numerous parties are involved in making important decisions. This paper reviews the literature regarding integrating BIM with GIS systematically, with the aim of analysing the need for this integration and its benefits. The paper highlights a lack of a clear guideline for collaboration in the railway project lifecycle and indicates the need for research to focus on this issue as well as the possibility of applying integrated BIM with GIS as a potential solution to improve collaboration for better decision among project participants.