Locking in national rail standards

Through the National Rail Action Plan (NRAP), the NTC is collaborating with governments, regulators, industry and unions to develop a National Rail Standards Framework.

The Framework draws from international experience. It responds to industry requests for more prescriptive requirements to make real change and help drive interoperability across rail networks.

The new approach will include a number of critical mandatory standards, as well as new institutional and governance arrangements to develop and deliver them. 

This is the first time mandatory rail standards will be introduced to Australia. By locking them in, we can give rail organisations more certainty and the confidence to invest in new trains and technologies. It will create an environment for innovation, future-proofing rail in Australia so that it can play a bigger role in our national economy and decarbonising transport.

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Australia’s transport ministers have agreed on the first three areas for mandatory standards to drive interoperability across rail networks. They are:

• Digital train control technologies
• Driver interface
• Streamlining rolling stock approvals.

Mandatory standards will ensure that new digital train control technologies are introduced consistently across Australia, maximising their full safety and productivity benefits. They will ensure driver cabins are fitted with consistent onboard interfaces to reduce the risk of human error. And help to streamline rolling stock approvals to make it cheaper and easier for operators to get new trains on tracks, increasing the competitivity of rail freight.
 

A second tier of common standards, rules and ways of working will provide a best practice approach to harmonising:

• operating rules and processes
• infrastructure and train componentry
• skills and training.

National standards for train componentry will create economies of scale. This will encourage local manufacturers to enter the rail supply chain, creating more jobs. It will also make it cheaper for governments and industry to invest in new trains, infrastructure and encourage the uptake of new technologies and innovation.

Greater consistency across operating rules and processes will make it simpler for people who work across networks to do their job. It will mean workers' skills are recognised across the country, and improve safety by reducing the risk of human error.

Harmonising skills and training standards will improve worker mobility and reduce training costs.

The third tier will allow for local standards and training requirements, recognising the legacy constraints of local networks where national rail interoperability is not impacted.
 

To develop the National Rail Standards Framework we are working closely with the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), the Office of the National Rail Industry Coordination (ONRIC) and the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board(RISSB).

Together we commissioned the Harmonisation of Rail Standards research report.

The report identifies opportunities for greater harmonisation of standards across the rail sector and proposes the establishment of a National Rail Standards Harmonisation Strategy.

It also gives an understanding of what has been stopping organisations from adopting existing international and Australian standards. Obstacles include network operating differences, compliance costs and a risk averse culture.

This understanding will support the development, rollout and uptake of standards in the future.

You can read the full report here. And a summary report here.

As the National Rail Standards Framework is being developed the NTC is working on ways to implement it and to start embedding a national approach.

Recommended changes to the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) will provide the legislative environment to make this happen.

Under rail’s current co-regulatory model, rail infrastructure managers and operators must meet performance requirements to operate safely.

As a result, they frequently use bespoke standards for their specific systems, processes and technologies. These are often incompatible with the systems, processes and technologies of other networks.

Recommendations in the recent RSNL report noted the link between safety and interoperability, and recommended that interoperability provisions be included in the law.

This will include a more proactive role for the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) in achieving rail interoperability.

The NTC is scoping amendments to the law to include these recommendations. This will include a full impact assessment.

As a first step, we are developing changes to RSNL national regulations. The changes will require rail infrastructure managers and operators along the NNI to have an Interoperability Management Plan as part of their Safety Management System. And show that they have identified and considered interoperability impacts when making changes to their network. 

If you'd like to express interest in the National Rail Action Plan and program, or ask us a question about our work, send us an email as we'd like to hear from you.