Digitalization is the most important process of change affecting all areas of our society in this century. In the construction industry and especially in the infrastructure sector, these changes are still ongoing and are characterized by complex interactions and data management. Digital methods, in particular Building Information Modeling (BIM) and structural health monitoring (SHM), are increasingly being used. However, building operation and maintenance processes still follow conventional procedures mostly and are only reluctantly supported by digital databases. Within the wide field of different infrastructures, the railway sector specifically consists of rather aged methods and structures, components and devices, which need intense service. Research at Leibniz University Hannover investigates a basic concept for digitally supported maintenance of railway infrastructures, called shBIM, to enhance the reliability and safety of railway networks. The idea of shBIM is to combine strengths of both, Structural Health Monitoring and Building Information Modeling in order to provide a structured, data driven knowledge-base. Necessary methods and processes need to be defined and harmonized for different perspectives like supervisory authorities, infrastructure operators and monitoring service providers.