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Progress on RSNL reform and ETCS Standards
Public consultation on proposed changes to Australia’s Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) closed this month, and we’re now well into the review phase, carefully assessing stakeholder feedback on the potential benefits and impacts of the proposed approaches to reform.
We received 27 submissions to our Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (C-RIS) from across the sector, including industry groups, governments, rail infrastructure managers, operators, unions and rail safety advocates.
Once all feedback has been assessed, preferred reform options will be presented to Australia’s infrastructure and transport ministers to support decisions on the best path forward for implementation.
Work has also commenced on drafting the first two mandatory rail standards to support the rollout of European Train Control System (ETCS) technology across the National Network of Interoperability (NNI). We have engaged specialist expertise to support this process and expect to release draft standards for consultation later this year.
Making it easier to get trains running
We’ll be going out for consultation again on Monday with the release of a discussion paper as part of our work exploring opportunities to harmonise testing requirements and locations for freight wagons and locomotives.
Right now, getting rolling stock approved and tested to operate across Australia’s rail system is complex, with each network having their own registration processes, standards, and testing requirements. This increases costs for rail operators and can deter investment in newer, safer rolling stock that produce less emissions. Harmonising testing requirements will support faster, more efficient rolling stock approval processes by reducing duplication while maintaining safety assurance outcomes.
The discussion paper will seek feedback on the impacts of differing rolling stock testing arrangements and feasible options for harmonisation.
The paper will be on our website next week. Keep an eye out for it here.
Submissions close Friday 17 July, 2026.
Rail reform momentum builds at ARISO conference
Earlier this month we joined leaders from across the rail sector at the ARISO Rail Safety Conference 2026 in Melbourne to explore how standards, technology and national consistency can support Australia’s ambitious interoperability and productivity goals.
NTC CEO Michael Hopkins provided an update on the progress of national rail reforms approved by ministers, including a strengthened governance model to support the development and implementation of new national rail standards.
The proposed changes will provide greater certainty for rail transport operators and help lift productivity by improving interoperability and reducing unnecessary complexity and duplication in safety compliance requirements.
Michael noted that an early analysis of submissions to the RSNL C-RIS shows almost unanimous support for these objectives, although organisations differ in how they believe those outcomes should be achieved.
A panel discussion with CEOs of the Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO), Alan Fedda and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), Natalie Pelham highlighted that legislative change is just the beginning. Achieving the national consistency needed to improve the efficiency of Australia’s rail system is a long-term project and will require ongoing industry collaboration and participation.
The benefits that will come from achieving the reform objectives go beyond rail, Productivity Commission Commissioner Martin Stokie said, noting that helping to move more people and freight “faster, better and safer”, will help to lift productivity across the wider economy.
You can read more about the conference here .
Visit our website to find out more about how the National Rail Action Plan is driving a safer, more efficient and productive national rail system.
Driving a nationally consistent ETCS rollout
The ARISO conference was also an opportunity for our signalling expert and Executive Director, Rail Systems & Operations Reform, Stephen Lemon to keep industry informed about the work the NTC is doing with the Australia Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and state governments, to drive a nationally consistent approach to ETCS deployment.
Infrastructure and transport ministers’ recent decision endorsing the European Train Control System (ETCS) as the single digital signalling standard across the NNI is a major step toward a connected national rail system. However, it doesn’t guarantee interoperability.
If states choose to implement customised or bespoke versions of ETCS to fit their individual ways of working, a whole new set of interoperability challenges will be introduced to our rail system.
Bespoke approaches could also make investing in systems more expensive and will make it difficult to develop a national workforce that can deliver, operate and maintain them, Stephen said.
To avoid this, we are working closely with the ARTC to develop a national strategy that will guide future ETCS roll outs across the NNI and ensure consistency across networks.
It includes strategies for both trackside infrastructure and for the onboard fitment of rolling stock.
This is a multi-decade transition, so prioritisation matters. The focus is on identifying [SL1] the most critical freight corridors first and the locomotives that operate on them. This will help sequence fitment to maximise early national benefits.
The ARTC is leading work planning for an ETCS solution suitable for [SL2] the non-urban freight environment. Their whole-of-system approach includes track infrastructure, rollingstock, network control and system integration.
A national scoping business case will determine how digital systems can be introduced in a commercially sustainable way.
You can read more about our work aligning digital rail technology here.
Cyber skills for rail
Courseware for a new national rail cybersecurity training program is now in the final stages of development, with a pilot program set to run later this year.
The four-day program, driven by the NTC, is being developed by Holmesglen Institute with support from TAFEcyber and will be delivered through TAFEs across Australia.
As cyber threats evolve rapidly, the risks facing the rail industry are expected to change significantly over the coming years. Upskilling the workforce is a critical step in strengthening the sector’s resilience and improving cyber risk management capabilities.
Our cyber skills program takes an applied learning approach that teaches cybersecurity for both information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments, to help rail professionals operate safely and securely across modern rail systems.
It will help people designing and working with OT systems to communicate and engage more effectively with IT specialists so they can better identify threats and vulnerabilities and manage cyber risks in their work environment.
Participants will develop skills in areas such as cyber risk awareness, critical infrastructure protection, and incident response that can be immediately applied to projects and day-to-day operations.
For more information, contact us at enquiries@ntc.gov.au
To find out more about how we are helping to build a future-ready rail workforce, visit our website.