In the rural town of Halcombe, New Zealand, an ambitious project is underway to revive the area’s rail connections through cutting-edge digital technology. Graeme Everton, Project Manager of Reureu Kotahitanga, explained: “We decided to turn it into a digital representation and it’s where the digital twin concept came along that we were able to say, okay well, can’t do it physically, but if we did it in a virtual sense it proves that it was safe.”
The idea stemmed from community discussions envisioning Halcombe’s needs for the next 20 years and is via the support of Hoe ki angitū, the NZTA Innovation Fund.
He mentioned that they had a long-standing relationship with rail, prompting them to explore the possibility of reinstating a rail service for their community, which had previously existed but then disappeared. Now, they were discussing efforts to bring it back.
By creating a detailed digital simulation, or “digital twin,” of a proposed rail system, the team can rigorously test designs and operations before any physical implementation.
“The digital twin is usually a simulation of something so in this case a rail system and the environment around it,” said Michael O’Sullivan, Associate Professor, Engineering Science, at the University of Auckland. “The nice thing with the virtual copy is you can then rewind it and if something went wrong figure out what went wrong.”
With backing from Waka Kotahi’s innovation fund, this pioneering project exemplifies how even small rural communities can leverage advanced technologies to thoughtfully enhance infrastructure and transportation for the future. As Halcombe aims to get residents riding the digital rails, their journey showcases the power of homegrown Kiwi ingenuity.
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Featured image: Credit: NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
