Aconex, a provider of construction collaboration solutions, has been selected to provide its online information management service to the Purple Line section of the Dubai Metro development.
Aconex will be used to control the vast volume of information generated on the development and help link the geographically dispersed project team.
A key reason for Aconex being selected is the company’s ability to provide training and support to all of the organisations working on the development, which will be based across three continents.
The Purple Line is the latest line added to the network and will offer an express and commuter service between Dubai International Airport and Jebel Ali Airport.
Scheduled to finish in 2012, the 49km line will have six intermediate stations, three with baggage check-in facilities. When complete, Dubai Metro will be one of the most advanced urban rail systems in the world.
Aconex Managing Director, Leigh Jasper, said: “Development of the Purple Line will involve collaboration between some of the world’s leading contractors and consultants and over the lifecycle of the development these companies will need to store and exchange hundreds of thousands of documents and correspondence items.
“Through using Aconex, project information can be managed using one online platform. Organizations working on the design and construction of the Purple Line will be able to view, distribute and track all their documents and correspondence at any time and from any location. This will streamline the collaboration process, cut administrative costs such as printing and postage, and reduce risks such as information loss, disputes and delays.”
Parsons Brinckerhoff has been awarded the consultancy contract for the Purple Line. The company will carry out planning, design and construction management for the project.
Jonathan Skittrall, Utilties and Highways Interface Leader at Parsons Brinckerhoff Middle East, said: “The development of the Purple Line is a strategic project with the core team in Dubai, the civil & structural and rail systems teams in Thailand, transportation planning and environmental teams in Australia, and systems assurance team and architectural consultant in Hong Kong. Aconex is an easy to use system that provides an efficient process for communicating and managing correspondence and documents between teams.
“Since the design and build phases could involve thousands of participants, a key feature for us is being able to register an unlimited number of users on the system and receive training and support for all participants on a global basis.”
