Case Study: Elizabeth Line achieves faster, flexible tunnel rehabilitation with Oasys GSA

Oasys GSA helps bring Connaught Tunnel back into service on the Elizabeth Line

The customer, the Elizabeth Line, faced the challenge of repurposing the historic Connaught Tunnel, a Victorian-era structure, for a new twin-track railway. This required complex engineering to replace the original brickwork with a new concrete box, all while managing significant constraints from groundwater pressure and the surrounding dock environment. Oasys Software's structural analysis product, Oasys GSA, was used to model the design for these permanent conditions.

Oasys GSA proved invaluable during the more complex construction phases. Using its flexible 3D finite element modelling, Oasys allowed engineers to quickly adapt the design for temporary works, such as determining the optimal length and sequence for excavating and replacing the tunnel invert. The software enabled a design change that increased the bay lengths, which resulted in fewer bays being required and generated direct savings in both time and cost for the Elizabeth Line project.

Elizabeth Line