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MicroStation 2026: Smarter CAD for Infrastructure Engineering

Infrastructure professionals across transportation, energy, water, and cities need modern CAD software to design, model, and deliver projects faster, smarter, and with greater context. Meeting these demands requires smarter, more connected ways of thinking about design, data, and delivery. With MicroStation 2026, Bentley introduces new features and enhancements that address modern productivity gaps by combining 3D geospatial visualization, automation, and efficiency. When infrastructure is designed with outdated assumptions, fragmented data, or limited real‑world insight, the consequences are costly and long‑lasting. Cost overruns, construction delays, safety risks, and underperforming assets don’t just affect projects—they impact communities through service disruptions, reduced climate resilience, higher lifecycle costs, and erosion of public trust. For engineers, owners, and operators, the cost of poor decisions is not only technical, but economic and reputational. With MicroStation’s intelligent design tools, teams can make better decisions from the start. These design decisions shape the resilience, sustainability, and performance across the entire infrastructure lifecycle—directly influencing quality of life for the communities it serves. MicroStation 2026 is built for this reality. It combines intelligent automation, immersive 3D geospatial context, and performance enhancements to help infrastructure professionals design, model, and manage complex systems with greater confidence and speed. MicroStation remains the only

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Engineering Clarity: How Arcadis Rail Division Builds Confidence Through Digital Transformation

In the complex world of infrastructure, where sustainable design and digital innovation intersect, stories of successful project delivery often hinge not just on the software used, but on the individuals who master it. We recently spoke with Andrew Germain, an Associate Technical Director within the Rail division of Arcadis, in York, United Kingdom. He told us about his career and journey to where he is today. Andrew Germain, an Associate Technical Director within the Rail division of Arcadis A Digital Engineering Journey A professional journey begins when an individual identifies a core pursuit. For Andrew the pursuit is rooted in professional growth and technical mastery. Andrew’s career path reflects a natural curiosity, stemming from his early interest in technical drawing and the iterative process of design. He likes knowing how things go together and how things work, driven by an inquisitive mind. Andrew migrated into the engineering field after college, having initially intended to pursue architecture. His exposure to MicroStation came early, in 1992, at a small specialist contractor. Today, Andrew’s personal motivation is closely tied to the complexity of the work itself. He focuses on projects like railway stations and depots, alongside extensive framework projects covering lineside activities, including

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Are You Buying Effort or Value? Rethinking Transportation Resilience.

Are You Buying Effort or Value? Rethinking Transportation Resilience. Ask 10 people in transportation what “resilience” means, and you’ll likely get ten different answers. And that’s exactly the point: resilience isn’t one thing. It includes people, data, systems, contracts, materials, and community preparedness. It’s everything that helps our transportation networks adapt and perform when the unexpected happens. At the Year in Infrastructure (YII) 2025 conference’s transportation panel, industry leaders representing owners, engineers, and contractors explored this idea from every angle. Despite their different perspectives, one theme emerged: we need to stop measuring projects only by their cost and start valuing their long-term benefit to the public. Project conflict is a resilience killer, leading to delays, cost overruns, and fractured teams. According to Andy Kaiyala, vice president at WSB, a model-centric approach is the most effective way to eliminate this drain on resources by “resolving conflict” before it becomes a problem.” before it becomes a problem. Kaiyala shared an example from a large project in Austin, Texas, where two separate contracts for a roadway and a tunnel were brought into a single digital environment. The result was the discovery of a critical clash. “One of these drop shafts is right in

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Unleash Your Vision with Flexible Reality Modeling

Imagine a workflow as dynamic as the world you’re capturing. A process where your tools don’t dictate your path but adapt to your project’s unique demands. As an engineer, surveyor, or planner, you don’t just capture data; you create the digital foundation for the infrastructure of tomorrow. Your vision is expansive. But too often, the very software meant to empower you becomes the bottleneck. The ambition to model an entire city or a complex facility is met with the frustrating reality of your tools: workstations grinding to a halt, timelines stretching, and high-stakes software investments that demand a leap of faith before you even know if a project is viable. The friction between your vision and your workflow is palpable. What if the workflow itself was the solution? What if it could be flexible enough for a secure, offline project one day and massively scalable for cloud-based collaboration the next? This is the new reality possible with the iTwin Capture workflow—an approach designed not around software’s limitations, but around your project’s needs. When reality data creates a reality check You know the friction points all too well. A promising project begins, but it’s immediately met with obstacles that slow progress

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Powering Europe’s energy future: How digitalization and collaboration drive grid resilience 

Europe’s complex energy ecosystem infrastructure: Why the grid needs modernization now Europe’s power grid is the largest interconnected grid in the world—and it’s under pressure. Climate risks, outdated infrastructure, cyberattacks, and growing demand for renewable energy are changing the energy landscape. The challenge is clear: modernize now or risk falling behind as Europe works to meet ambitious capacity targets. The grid has 400 interconnectors serving 600 million customers. By 2030, it is expected to reach 136 gigawatts of capacity. The EU electricity infrastructure stretches over a million kilometers, making it a critical part of Europe’s energy system. (EU electricity grids | EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service Briefing, May 2025) According to Eurelectric, many of Europe’s distribution grids will be more than 40 years old by 2030, approaching the end of their lifespans. The stakes are high. Grid bottlenecks can slow progress, and permitting delays sometimes last almost a decade, holding back important infrastructure projects. Europe needs to maintain a resilient, reliable grid and keep energy affordable for everyone—citizens, businesses, and industries. Key EU policy initiatives driving grid innovation The European Commission, Parliament, and the Council of the European Union provide strategic guidance, vital funding, and support for energy projects

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The Secret Revealed: How Engineers Really Design Overhead Power Lines

When most people look at transmission and distribution lines, they see a series of tall towers or poles with wires strung between them. But engineers? They see art. There’s beauty in the symmetry of structures and the geometric alignment of lines. Beyond the technical design, engineers appreciate how these systems interact with their surroundings—crossing rugged terrain, sweeping across open landscapes, or weaving through urban skylines. These lines don’t just serve a purpose, they follow the land in a way that blends engineering with aesthetics. And behind this work of art lies a powerful industry tool that has been revolutionizing overhead power line design for over 40 years: Bentley’s PLS-CADD. If you’ve ever wondered how engineers decide where to place each tower, how to minimize cost without compromising safety, or how to make the grid more resilient, here’s your peek behind the curtain. Spoiler alert: it’s not magic. It’s math, modeling, and one seriously powerful piece of software. How PLS-CADD optimizes overhead line design PLS-CADD (Power Line Systems – Computer Aided Design and Drafting) is the industry standard for overhead line design. But the real artistry comes from its Line Optimization feature within its Optimum Spotting module. Think of it as

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Building a Brighter Future: Gen Z Leads with Values and Vision

How Gen Z is shaping sustainable infrastructure careers During a recent call with my 19-year-old son, a college sophomore, we talked about his excitement to make a positive impact with his future profession. He feels passionately that he can and must make a difference with the climate crisis in his career. Like so many of his friends and fellow students, he cares deeply about the world and the people in it. This altruistic attitude is the driving force in his daily decisions and has had a huge impact on the career path he has chosen. This, I’ve learned, is very typical of his generational cohort. As Gen Z prepares for their future careers in the engineering sector, they bring a focused perspective and concern for more sustainable practices. Known for being the most eco-conscious and values-driven generation to date, they want their jobs to align with causes that they care about. They want to design, build, and maintain smarter, safer, and more sustainable infrastructure. International Day of Education: Building resilient societies Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, the International Day of Education, which is celebrated on January 24, serves as a reminder of the importance of education

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Why Traditional Rail Design Is Holding You Back and How to Fix It

Digital tools are reshaping how teams plan, design, and deliver infrastructure, bringing speed, accuracy, and collaboration to the forefront. Here is a quick summary of what’s driving this shift: Traditional rail design methods limit efficiency and digital integration. Bentley’s railway design software offers significant advantages when transitioning from 2D to 3D for rail projects. Using the right software means better visualization, more accurate design, easier collaboration, and streamlined workflows. New tools support complex geometry, cant workflows, and rapid updates, helping teams deliver faster with fewer errors. Rail networks today are under growing pressure to modernize, expand, and align with smart city infrastructure. Governments are investing in sustainable transit, passengers expect seamless digital experiences, and engineering teams must deliver faster, safer, and more efficiently, often with tighter budgets. As a rail engineer, you help shape the systems that keep cities and countries moving. Each project demands a careful balance of safety, efficiency, environmental impact, and cost. With the industry evolving rapidly, the push for smarter, more sustainable solutions is constant. Digital delivery is now essential, and the demand for speed, accuracy, and collaboration continues to rise. 2D just doesn’t cut it anymore You’ve built your career meeting tight deadlines, adapting to

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How Bentley Software is Powering Social Mobility in the City of Cardiff

From Coal to Connectivity: How Bentley Software is Powering Social Mobility in the City of Cardiff, Wales Cardiff’s journey from a coal-exporting titan to a modern, connected capital is a story of resilience, reinvention, and regeneration. Once the world’s largest coal-exporting port, Cardiff’s docks fueled the engines of the Industrial Revolution. But as the coal industry declined in the 20th century, the city faced economic stagnation and social challenges that lingered for decades.  Today, Cardiff is writing a new chapter powered not by coal, but by connectivity, sustainability, and digital innovation. At the heart of this transformation is the Core Valley Lines (CVL) Transformation Project, a GBP 1 billion initiative to electrify and modernize 170 kilometers of railway serving the South Wales Valleys. Behind the scenes, Bentley’s digital project delivery software is helping make it all possible. Engineering a New Era of Opportunity Led by infrastructure specialist Amey Consulting, the CVL project is more than a rail upgrade, it’s a catalyst for social mobility and regional growth. By improving journey times, doubling network capacity, and enhancing accessibility, the project is reconnecting communities that were once isolated by geography and economic decline. “We’ve got these communities that were once sort of

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