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“2025 has marked a milestone year for rail in Australia, with ministers endorsing some of the biggest rail reforms in more than a century. Key among these is the adoption of the European Train Control System (ETCS) as the national standard for digital train control along major interstate freight and passenger corridors, as well as a new approach to governance and standards development that will help rail play a bigger role in safely moving goods and people around the country.
These achievements have been made possible through strong partnerships and sustained collaboration across the rail industry and governments. As we shift into the next intense delivery phase, continued engagement with all stakeholders will be essential.
As the end of the year approaches, it’s a good time to reflect on how far the reform has come since NRAP was approved by Australia’s Infrastructure and Transport Ministers in 2019 - and to recognise the important work that still lies ahead.
We’re excited by the momentum of 2025 and look forward to building on this progress together in 2026.”
Michael Hopkins, CEO
Aligning train control technologies
In August 2025, Australia’s Infrastructure and Transport Ministers made a historic decision agreeing to ETCS as the digital signalling pathway across the National Network for Interoperability (NNI). This means that all digital signalling introduced on the NNI in future must meet mandatory ETCS standards.
A single national approach to digital signalling will provide industry with much-needed certainty, improve efficiency, lower costs and strengthen safety across the network.
During the year the NTC, supported by ARTC, developed a high-level integrated ETCS Work Plan designed to:
inform ‘value for money’ ETCS configurations for non-urban environments
identify where upgrades to national rolling stock fleets should be prioritised
support the development of a cost sharing framework for future ITMM consideration.
This work plan feeds into ARTC’s broader national business case, which is scoping digital train control needs for NNI users across metropolitan, regional, rural and remote parts of Australia.
Over the next 12–18 months, the NTC will lead a group of jurisdictional policy and technical experts to progress the plan’s key deliverables to support a national approach, and enable the realisation of benefits as early as possible.
As 2026 progresses, the NTC will work with jurisdictions on a cost-sharing framework to support the deployment of interoperable technology and fitment of rolling stock.
A national approach to rail standards
This year, Transport and Infrastructure Ministers endorsed a major change to Australia’s rail governance framework, setting the foundations for a more consistent, interoperable national network. Central to this change is a strengthening of RISSB as the new industry-led technical standards setting body. As a signifier of the change, RISSB has commenced the transition into the new Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO). The changes will also mean an expanded, more proactive role for the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) as interoperability requirements become embedded in the Rail Safety National Law.
This new approach shifts standards development from network-specific priorities to a coordinated national strategy. ARISO will lead the development of harmonised industry standards that support national productivity, while the NTC will continue to deliver a small number of critical mandatory standards for ministerial approval, drawing on ARISO’s input, as well as broader industry and governments.
The first two mandatory standards for digital train control will secure interoperability across the NNI, enabling safer more seamless movement of freight and passengers into the future. A third mandatory standard, focused on approvals for new and modified rolling stock, will deliver a more consistent end-to-end process. Together, these reforms align national approaches across rail technology, rolling stock, infrastructure, skills, and training.
A significant milestone in 2025 was the amendment to the Rail Safety National Law regulations, requiring rail transport operators on the NNI to include an Interoperability Management Plan within their Safety Management System. This ensures operators identify and assess all national interoperability considerations before making network changes, signalling a deliberate shift from network-specific decision-making toward a more integrated national perspective.
The amendment took effect on 1 November, with operators required to comply by 28 February 2026. It marks the first step in governments’ commitment to strengthening interoperability across Australia’s major rail networks. Further changes to the law will be explored in early 2026 to build even stronger interoperability requirements. This will be done through the RSNL Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (C-RIS), which will propose options for reform following the 2024 RSNL Review.
Consistent rail rules and streamlined processes
This year we’ve also been focused on getting greater consistency in rules and processes that underpin Australia’s rail operations. By harmonising the many different safeworking rules currently in use and streamlining the rolling stock approval process, we can improve safety, lift efficiency and productivity, reduce costs, and help make rail a more competitive transport mode.
In August, Ministers endorsed a national pathway to consolidate and coordinate the many rolling stock approval reforms underway across the country.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, in close collaboration with governments and industry, we will:
work with the national regulator ONRSR who will deliver a safety assurance guideline that clarifies the roles and responsibilities of RIMs and Rolling Stock Operators (RSOs) when certifying and registering rolling stock as well as the rolling stock approval process.
develop and pilot a single national rolling stock application approach for freight wagons and locomotives.
harmonising rolling stock approval testing requirements and locations.
To improve worker mobility and strengthen safety and productivity across major interstate freight and passenger routes, we’ve taken the first step towards more common operating rules for the NNI. A priority set of four safeworking rules and five supporting actions has been identified, targeting the biggest pain points for operators. A cost, benefit and impact analysis completed in 2025 confirmed these priorities align with national interoperability objectives, are affordable, relatively easy to implement, and strongly supported by stakeholders. This work will continue throughout 2026 as we move closer to a more consistent, interoperable national rail system.
Growing a future rail workforce
In January this year, Ministers endorsed the development of a national curriculum for ETCS skills, building on the work already underway in New South Wales and Queensland. As ETCS is progressively rolled out across Australia’s rail networks, a nationally consistent curriculum will be essential to ensure these skills are recognised across jurisdictions from the outset.
The national curriculum will be developed during 2026, alongside ongoing work with jurisdictions to resolve funding, ownership, and long-term maintenance arrangements for the training product.
While ETCS provides a greenfield opportunity to get a consistent national approach to curriculum from the start, we’re also tackling the more difficult challenge of developing common base curriculum and nationally recognised competencies across the sector. The NTC, through NRAP, supported the development of a Blueprint for the mutual recognition of entry-level rail training courses and competencies which is now being progressed by Industry Skills Australia (ISA).
Further momentum is expected early next year with the release of an RSNL C-RIS, which will examine how qualifications and units of competency are awarded, and explore the potential for a national competency management system to support mutual recognition across the sector.
In parallel, we have partnered with TAFECyber to develop two accredited cyber security training programs tailored to the rail industry, with delivery expected to commence after June 2026.