A Framework for Asset Information Model (AIM) in Urban Railway Operations Management in Vietnam

Abstract

Urban rail transit is a technically complex infrastructure type that integrates multiple engineering disciplines and has an operational lifespan of several decades. A critical challenge during the operational phase is information discontinuity at the construction-to-operations handover – characterised by as-built BIM models with high geometric accuracy but lacking over 80% of the non-geometric data essential for asset management. This paper proposes an Asset Information Model (AIM) Framework for urban railway operations management in Vietnam. Based on a synthesis of international best practices from three benchmark projects (Rail Baltica – Europe, Xiamen Metro – China, Maha Metro – India) and a capability gap analysis at Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) across four pillars (Policy, People, Process, Technology), the study proposes an AIM framework comprising three core components: (1) a three-layer data structure (geometric, non-geometric, documentation); (2) an asset identification and coding system compliant with Uniclass 2015 and ISO 19650; and (3) a three-phase digital transformation roadmap from data standardisation to system integration. The findings provide a concrete technical foundation directly applicable to the Vietnamese context, establishing groundwork for subsequent validation studies and extension to new Metro lines.