Replika PRO

Proposal coordinator

Replika PRO, Slovenia

Irena Mesarič, project manager

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Challenge

The European TEN-T network includes more than 10,000 road, rail, hydro and metro tunnels, most of them 30 to 50 years old. Inspections are manual, slow and require traffic closures — the average cycle exceeds five years, which in the light of real incidents threatens safety and network throughput.

Each transport mode uses incompatible capture systems, defects are classified subjectively, BIM and GIS standards are fragmented across national operators, and predictive maintenance is virtually non-existent. EU regulatory requirements are tightening, yet engineering companies lack a unified tool for multi-modal monitoring of critical tunnel infrastructure.

Solution

The project will create a mode-agnostic digital twin platform for critical tunnel infrastructure. Synchronised multi-sensor capture — vehicle-mounted, rail-mounted, UAV and handheld — feeds an AI defect taxonomy with severity scoring and predictive deterioration models, so every detected defect receives an expected progression curve and maintenance becomes predictive instead of reactive.

BIM/GIS integration following the buildingSMART standard enables regulator reporting and plug-in to existing AEC workflows. The Slovenian technology stack of surveying capture, monitoring sensors and BIM automation forms the core module, while foreign partners bring pilot sites and standardisation leverage.

Main activities

The consortium will develop a synchronised multi-sensor capture rig combining imaging, laser scanning, photogrammetry, IR/multispectral sensing and sonic NDT, together with AI defect taxonomy and severity scoring algorithms. Predictive deterioration models will translate detected defects into expected progression curves. BIM/GIS integration will follow and contribute to the buildingSMART standard, and capture will be adapted to vehicle, rail-mounted and UAV/handheld modes. Monitoring sensors, dataloggers and remote monitoring, plus BIM/CAD automation and AEC analytics plug-ins, complete the platform. Five national pilots will cover an alpine road tunnel, urban rail, a Mediterranean road tunnel and a hydro intake, complemented by EU TEN-T regulatory liaison and compliance reporting.

Consortium status

Partners sought

Project coordinator — Leads the ITEA project, owns the overall business case and coordinates national clusters, budgets, milestones and exploitation logic. Ideally a Slovenian or other core industrial technology partner with strong commitment to productising the tunnel digital twin platform and coordinating the pilot-driven roadmap.
Capture provider — Develops the mobile and static tunnel data-capture capability, including imaging, laser scanning, photogrammetry, IR/multispectral and sonic/NDT inputs. Adapts capture workflows for road vehicle, rail-mounted, UAV and handheld operation and ensures synchronised data suitable for AI analysis and digital twin integration.
Platform provider — Builds the digital twin architecture, data pipelines, AI defect taxonomy, severity scoring modules and user-facing analytics environment. Should integrate sensor data, defect models, BIM/GIS objects, reporting workflows and APIs into a deployable platform rather than isolated research prototypes.
Sensor provider — Provides monitoring sensors, dataloggers, remote condition-monitoring components and connectivity to support continuous or periodic tunnel asset monitoring. This role is important for moving the project from inspection snapshots toward predictive maintenance and operational deployment.
Research organisation — Develops and validates deterioration models, defect progression curves, uncertainty handling and AI/model evaluation methodologies. Can also support BIM/GIS interoperability, buildingSMART alignment, benchmarking and scientific credibility without turning the project into an academic RIA.
Infrastructure operator — Provides real tunnel assets, operational requirements, historical inspection data, safety constraints and access for pilots. The proposal should include operators across several tunnel modes, especially road and rail/metro, with at least one hydro or special infrastructure case if that remains in scope.
Engineering partner — Validates whether the platform fits real AEC, inspection and asset-management workflows and supports commercial adoption. This partner should test CAD/BIM plug-ins, reporting outputs, maintenance planning processes and customer-facing service models.

TUNNEL-TWIN-EU

Eureka Projects under Replika PRO coordination