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Moss between the sleepers, rust on steel girders, trees and shrubs along the route: more than four decades of disuse have left visible marks on the Siemensbahn. Built around 100 years ago by Siemens & Halske, the roughly 4.5-kilometre line served the industrial area through the stations at Gartenfeld, Wernerwerk and Siemensstadt. It has been out of service since 1980 and is now set to rejoin the S-Bahn network. This is not simply a project to build a new railway connection. A substantial part of the historic infrastructure is to be preserved and brought back into use.
It is an ambitious project. Alongside the alteration and new construction of 30 bridge structures, it involves rebuilding the three stations with accessible facilities and connecting the line to Berlin's S-Bahn ring via Jungfernheide. Working with the listed structures, including the roughly 800-metre elevated viaduct, is particularly demanding.
The first work began there in late June 2026. On a test section of the steel viaduct, Deutsche Bahn is initially examining how to repair the historic structure. The findings will inform the wider restoration. Under the current schedule, the Siemensbahn is due to reopen in 2029.
When reconstruction comes before planning
The challenge: On a new construction project, the digital model develops alongside the design. With an almost 100-year-old steel structure, the sequence is reversed: the existing structure must first be reconstructed digitally before design work can begin.
At Wernerwerk station and the adjoining bridges, surveying, BIM and GIS service provider ARC-GREENLAB undertook this work with its partners. The Siemensbahn engineering consortium, comprising Sweco and KREBS+KIEFER, is responsible for the design. Technology from Esri is used to connect BIM and geospatial data.
ARC-GREENLAB used laser scanning to survey the existing infrastructure, including the viaduct structures and Wernerwerk station's entrance building, roof structure and stairwells. The measurements produce a three-dimensional point cloud representing the structure's existing geometry.
Even a high-resolution laser scan cannot capture every detail unambiguously. ARC-GREENLAB's specialists therefore supplemented the scans with manual measurements on the structure itself. They recorded the number, arrangement and spacing of rivets and checked other fasteners. This process produced an exceptionally detailed BIM model of the existing Siemensbahn infrastructure.
The viaduct was modelled at Level of Detail 400 (LoD 400). The model contains more than 300,000 individual components. The installed steel elements were represented with a maximum tolerance of two millimetres. Even the smallest fasteners are included.
The point cloud thus gradually becomes a structured description of the actual construction. After processing the survey data, the team modelled, checked and corrected the components, then added fasteners and attached information to individual components. Following clash detection, three BIM submodels were created and exported as IFC models of the existing infrastructure.
This level of detail serves a practical purpose. The model provides the geometry and information needed to plan repairs. It can be used for quantity take-offs and to verify structural reassessments against the infrastructure that is actually present.
A structure that, for decades, existed mainly in historic drawings and in its physical form therefore becomes a reliable basis for design once again.
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ARC GreenlabBIM knows the bridge - GIS knows its surroundings
However detailed a BIM model may be, it stops at the boundaries of the structure. That perspective is not enough for a railway line. Where does the viaduct sit in the landscape? Which buildings adjoin the route? What planning information is available for the surrounding area? How does an individual structure fit into the line as a whole?
This is where GIS comes in. While BIM describes the structure down to component level, a geographic information system adds spatial context. Siemensbahn's BIM models are therefore combined with relevant geospatial data, including local development and land-use plans, terrain and surface models, and cadastral information. The highly detailed model of an individual viaduct no longer stands alone: it becomes part of a wider spatial picture of the route and its surroundings.
Esri provides the connection between BIM and geospatial data through its ArcGIS GeoBIM technology. The application links detailed infrastructure models with geospatial data, placing them in the context of the entire route. It also connects to Autodesk Construction Cloud, where BIM and project data are managed.
This allows participants to move between the detailed infrastructure model and the wider spatial view without first having to combine data from different systems into a new model. That is particularly useful for linear infrastructure such as the Siemensbahn: BIM depicts individual components in detail, while GIS shows how the structure relates to the route, terrain and surroundings.
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From individual rivets back to the bigger picture
Designers can explore individual structural connections in the BIM model, then zoom out to see the structure within the entire route. They can also analyse spatial relationships, such as elevation profiles, a structure's immediate surroundings and sightlines.
The real value lies in combining two perspectives, rather than in the 3D display alone. BIM describes the structure in detail, while GIS places it in its spatial context. Together, they provide a more complete picture of the project and make it easier to design and assess complex infrastructure.
The link between BIM and GIS goes further. ArcGIS GeoBIM can associate comments, notes and documents with a specific location in the project. BIM issue management displays tasks and problems directly against the relevant object. Opening an issue reveals its description, cause, deadlines and linked documents, among other details.
Dashboards show the current project status, while a time slider allows users to follow changes over time. Linking BIM and GIS therefore delivers more than a visualisation. The digital model becomes an interface through which project participants can find information, locate problems and associate tasks with locations.
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Digitalisation starts with existing infrastructure
The Siemensbahn shows what digitalisation in infrastructure construction can mean beyond creating a new 3D model. It begins with the physical infrastructure, which is surveyed, checked and modelled in enough detail for designers to work with it. BIM organises that information at component level. GIS adds spatial context. Linking it with project information and documents then makes the data usable in day-to-day workflows.
This is particularly important for historic infrastructure. Before project participants can decide what to preserve, reinforce, replace or build anew, they must understand what is actually there. At the Siemensbahn, that digital understanding extends to the individual rivet and far beyond the individual structure.
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