HS2 Ltd, the project company for the construction of the HS2 high-speed rail (HSR) line between London, Birmingham, and Crewe, has teamed up with software company Altair Ltd to develop a technology for automated railway viaduct design that can reduce the carbon content of viaducts by up to 10 % and cut design time from around a month to an hour. The software creates designs based on the physical properties of all materials to be used and taking into account operational requirements such as the speed and braking load of trains. The technology is based on Altair's OptiStruct software, which is already used in the aerospace and automotive industries. HS2 Ltd intends to use the new software for the design of viaducts and bridges in phases 2a and 2b of the HS2 project.
