Completed and ongoing actions - National Rail Action Plan

Completed action: 

• A report to Ministers identifying critical skills and skill gaps, drawing on several pieces of research including the ARA’s skills capability study. 

Completed action: 

• An audit of existing training, programs and facilities, as well as government policies and levers and other relevant factors was completed by the Labour and Skills Working Group. It was reported to Ministers in November 2020 and May 2021. 

Completed action: 

• A report identifying barriers to portability of critical skills was completed by the NTC working with industry and government partners. It led to the support  for a National Rail Skills Hub, approved by Ministers in May 2021.

Ongoing action: 

• The transportability of skills across the nation remains a high priority for the National Rail Skills Hub, which is bringing transport and education sectors together to support reciprocal recognition of core skills and provide pathways to sustainable careers.

Completed action:

• A Victorian Government study on skills shortages in the train, tram and bus industry was completed in June 2020 by Victoria University and the Rail Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre.

Ongoing actions: 

• The National Rail Skills Hub is being developed to showcase success stories and is bringing industry, government, transport, and education sectors together to take national approaches to common challenges.
• We’re also undertaking further research on the potential for harmonising standards for key rail components that could support local rail manufacturing.

Completed action: 

• The Chair of the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers Meeting wrote to the COAG Industry and Skills Council in February 2020. They raised the importance of rail skills development. Since then, there has been ongoing collaboration between the NTC and its Skills Working Group the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, and national skills agencies.

Ongoing action: 

• The National Rail Skills Hub is linking up national training initiatives to bring transport and education sectors together to address skill shortages in rail.

Ongoing actions: 

• Industry works together to deliver a campaign to position and promote rail as an industry of choice. Several initiatives are underway, including:
  • the Inland Rail Skills Academy delivered by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) in partnership with the Australasian Railway Association (ARA)
  • the ARA’s Rail Remuneration Insights Report, released in May 2021
  • the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board’s (RISSB) Horizons program
  • the Victorian Level Crossing Removal Project’s Engineering Pathways Industry Cadetship program.
• The National Rail Skills Hub will also promote roles in rail as desired careers.

Ongoing action: 

• Industry continues taking a coordinated approach to skills and workforce investment. Initiatives underway include:
  • Investment in virtual reality to aid training, resulting in broader experience and improved knowledge retention. Virtual reality is used by industry and government in contexts such as driving, power substations and tunnelling.
  • Investment in more courses offered by the ARA.

Completed action:

• RISSB surveyed rail operators to audit existing infrastructure standards and identify opportunities that provide the best value.

Completed actions:

• The National Rail Action Plan’s harmonisation group helped steer the development of a three-year standards plan to enable greater harmonisation of rail infrastructure and components. This was approved by Ministers in May 2021. RISSB was funded to develop a suite of national standards in line with the plan. 
• Egress; energy storage; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning standards have been completed. Emissions and train horn use codes of practice have also been completed. 
• Updated standards for glazing and bogies have been released. 

Ongoing action:

• RISSB is delivering the three-year harmonisation plan. Priorities have been recast to meet needs of upcoming procurement and deliver the best value.
• Crashworthiness standards are being finalised. 
• The NTC is progressing an economic analysis of certain rollingstock components that would help build scale and jobs in local manufacturing.

Completed actions:

• RISSB finalised and published the National Rules Framework in February 2020.
• RISSB surveyed rail operators about differences in rail operating rules. The result of this action was prioritisation of ten rules that would be relatively easy to harmonise and deliver high value.

Action underway

• RISSB is currently leading work to rewrite the Australian Network Rules and Procedures. Two of the ten rules prioritised have been rewritten.

Completed action:

• The ARTC led the development of a business case for the Advanced Train Management System, a digital train management solution, through the Freight on Rail Group. The business case was completed in late 2020. This work led to additional funding for the Advanced Train Management System.

Completed action:

• A strategy to roll out an interoperable control system based on an investigation of technological options was undertaken. This has led to ongoing work by the NTC to develop an Interoperability Framework to support a greater role for rail in moving passengers and freight across the country.