12 May 2025
Construction in a rail corridor brings an element of risk, and one which is a constant for Te Ara Tupua Alliance, the team delivering Te Ara Tupua; an NZTA Waka Kotahi resilience project improving the road and rail while creating a connection between Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
While protecting yourself with a digital shield is the type of defensive tool you’d expect in a video game, a digital shield has been in use on Te Ara Tupua since construction commenced in 2023.
Last month, NZTA Waka Kotahi and Kiwirail safety regulators gave the digital shield the tick of approval, confirming that the use of this Kiwi ingenuity on Te Ara Tupua demonstrated its capabilities to protect the rail, passing trains, overhead electric wires and heavy machinery onsite from ever coming into proximity with each other.
Te Ara Tupua Project Director Ulvi Salayev has a vision to elevate the construction sector to a new standard of construction never achieved before, and the digital shield innovation is unlike anything else in the market.
“This technology protects our people, our trains, and their drivers and passengers. It enables productivity and delivers this project for Wellington and the Hutt Valley. It's a valuable tool and asset for the construction and infrastructure industry but also a demonstration of the collaborative effort between Te Ara Tupua Alliance, Kiwirail and NZTA Waka Kotahi throughout the entire project to date.”
Digital shield overlay on Te Ara Tupua construction area.
Using GPS and 3D models to create virtual ‘no-go’ zones, it enables a person to operate heavy machinery while the rail corridor is still operational. The shield prevents a machine such as an excavator from coming too close to real-world hazards and protects its drivers from overhead power lines and other sensitive areas such as the live rail corridor. The controls of the excavator lock up if any part of the machine gets too close to this zone.
This industry-leading technology was developed in collaboration with Downer New Zealand on a rail project between Trentham and Upper Hutt. KiwiRail piloted the technology to enhance safety during rail construction which would prevent machines from hitting hazards like overhead power lines or trains.
Heavy machinery moving along the seaward side of the rail shows the proximity to the KiwiRail assets.
Jan Du Preez, digital survey manager at Te Ara Tupua Alliance who worked on the development of the digital shield likes to refer to it as the force field protecting assets within the rail corridor.
“We needed a way to undertake construction in an active rail corridor safely. It’s great to hear that NZTA Waka Kotahi and Kiwirail have endorsed the digital shield as a key safety innovation that i hope will be applied to other projects that are in similar environments.”
