Real-time data from earthmoving machines is being used to cut costs and carbon emissions at a key stage in the delivery of HS2.
According to EKFB, the civil engineering contractor for the main works on the central section of HS2, around £25m has already been saved by using telematics data from the 700 machines used to do earthworks to identify process inefficiencies.
The machines are fitted with electronic weight sensors to monitor the millions of cubic meters of soil being moved across this section of the line, which runs between the northern edge of the Chiltern Hills and east of Leamington Spa.
Live data fed back through EKFB’s DIGital Graphical Earthworks Reporting (DIGGER) program allows the on-site team to identify pinch points that are slowing haulage operations or reorganize the fleet where, for example, an excavator is waiting for a dump truck to arrive.
Based on a digital platform developed by construction equipment supplier Finning, the technology has been designed to ensure the site’s 53 million cubic meters of rock and soil are moved as efficiently as possible.
HS2 Ltd senior director of innovation Rob Cairns said delivering HS2 remained a “huge task” but technology tested at the site would benefit projects elsewhere.
“Most of its constituent parts are large multi-year projects that provide both the test bed for the development of innovative technology and the subsequent deployment to enable profit,” he said.
“Once an innovative efficiency-enhancing technology has been developed and tested on HS2, it is ready to be deployed on future projects anywhere in the UK and abroad.”
Mark Harrington, EKFB’s director of earthworks, said the technology had reduced costs by around £25 million, a significant part of which came from reduced fuel consumption, while also resulting in reduced emissions of carbon
“By providing data that allows us to identify where inefficiencies are occurring in real time, we can implement immediate improvement measures to ensure we maintain optimal efficiency across all our operations,” he said.
