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5.1.2 Entering a Brave New World: Applying Systems Engineering to American Infrastructure Projects
Author(s) -
Hoehne Oliver M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2012.tb01363.x
Subject(s) - aerospace , electrification , system of systems engineering , engineering , railway engineering , scale (ratio) , process (computing) , engineering design process , engineering management , transport engineering , systems engineering , systems design , construction engineering , computer science , mechanical engineering , electrical engineering , electricity , physics , quantum mechanics , aerospace engineering , operating system
Systems Engineering is a well accepted engineering discipline in most industries, including information technology, defense, aerospace, automobile, and medicine, across the globe. When it comes to railroad infrastructure projects in the United States, however, these projects inevitably rely on the Plans, Specifications and Estimate (PS&E) process used in the construction industry. Large scale conventional rail projects are highly complex. Large scale high‐speed rail systems are even more so. Systems Engineering inevitably has a fundamental impact on the traditional engineering approach of railroad infrastructure projects, perhaps not unlike what the introduction of electrification did during the steam locomotive era, as depicted in Figure 1. This technical paper presents a case study illustrating how Systems Engineering is being combined with the established Plans, Specifications and Estimate approach, and how the $65 billion California High Speed Train Project (full Phase 1 in 2010 dollars) is benefitting from the values of Systems Engineering [1]. This paper provides a brief overview of the California High‐Speed Train Project, describes the Systems Engineering (SE) objectives, discusses how SE was planned and implemented, and demonstrates how Systems Engineering is benefitting the design of the California High‐Speed Train Project (CHSTP).