Topics
Consultation and cooperation critical for interoperability
With new interoperability regulations now in place, rolling them out across Australia’s major freight and passenger networks will be a learning curve for everyone involved.
At a recent Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) webinar, ONRSR Director, Policy, Jessica Linsell emphasised that consultation and cooperation are essential.
From 1 November, Rail Safety National Law regulations require rail transport operators on the National Network for Interoperability (NNI) to have systems and procedures that consider interoperability issues. These must be applied when making operational changes on the NNI. An Interoperability Management Plan must then be prepared if interoperability issues are identified.
“The interoperability regulations are new for all of us,” Jessica said, noting that the key takeaway is to consult, not only with the organisations and entities that you interface with directly but also those that might be impacted by any change to your operations on the NNI.
ONRSR COO Peter Doggett added that the regulator will be checking to ensure that interoperability systems and procedures are built into the safety management system of rail transport operators on the NNI.
A Draft Interoperability of Railway Operations Guideline is now available on the ONRSR website to help implement the changes. The document is open for consultation and operators are encouraged to share feedback or ask questions about the new requirements.
Interested parties can provide feedback on the draft guideline until 14 November 2025 at contact@onrsr.com.au
And watch a video of the webinar here.
Help shape Australia’s first mandatory rail standards
We’re calling on technical experts to help draft Australia’s first mandatory rail standards, in a major step toward ensuring interoperability across the national network.
At the request of Infrastructure and Transport Ministers, the NTC is developing two initial standards to support the rollout of European Train Control System (ETCS) technology across the NNI:
- Digital train technology (ETCS Trackside) – a standard setting out the trackside/infrastructure requirements to ensure ETCS compatibility across the NNI
- A single on-board interface for drivers and crew (ETCS Onboard) – a standard specifying the requirements for on-board train fitment to ensure ETCS compatibility across the NNI.
A discussion paper Digital Train Control Technology (DTCT) Interoperability Requirements Assessment, put out for consultation earlier this year, explored the necessary scope of these standards and invited feedback from across the rail industry. We received 27 responses, with strong support for aligning Australian ETCS implementations with the European Union Agency for Railways’ technical specifications for interoperability (TSIs), while recognising that not all elements of the TSIs are relevant to Australian conditions.
You can find a copy of the feedback report on our website here.
If you have the expertise to contribute to drafting these historic standards, tender documents are now available on our website.
Deadline for submissions: 5pm, 3 December 2025
Questions close: 5pm, 10 November 2025
Rail governance and standards reform
Australia’s rail standards reform is picking up steam, but it will take strong industry support to deliver a safer, more efficient and connected rail network for the future, our CEO Michael Hopkins told a joint NTC- Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (Australia) webinar this month.
Michael joined RISSB CEO, Alan Fedda, ARTC Managing Director, Wayne Johnson (GAICD) and Department of Transport and Planning Victoria, Executive Director, Lachlan McDonald to unpack what the national standards reform means for the industry.
Historically, Australia’s rail standards have been voluntary, leaving it up to individual operators to decide how to meet safety goals. This offered flexibility but led to a patchwork of systems and processes making it harder to achieve interoperability.
To achieve a more interoperable, productive and safer rail system, Infrastructure and Transport Ministers agreed that an industry-led organisation was needed to develop national standards that align with national priorities, Michael said. He noted that under the new governance arrangements, a strengthened RISSB will take on that role along with a more proactive role for the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator.
All speakers agreed that achieving full alignment will take time.
You can watch a video of the webinar here.
To learn more about rail standards reform, visit our website.
Inspiring the next generation of signalling experts
A lack of consistent, recognised competencies across rail networks is making it difficult for skilled workers to move between jobs, exacerbating the rail skills shortage.
To spark new thinking on this long-standing challenge, and inspire the next generation of rail engineers, we teamed up with the University of Melbourne’s Innovation Practice program. Under the theme ‘Alleviating the signalling engineering accreditation bottleneck’, Masters students spent 12 weeks talking with signalling and skills experts, rail managers, and government representatives, to explore how technology and harmonisation could streamline competency recognition.
The big takeaway? There’s no single fix, solving this will take a coordinated, national effort backed by legislative reform.
Students shared their ideas in a final pitch session this month and will showcase their work at AusRAIL in November.
Strong support for national rail reform
The landmark decision by Australia’s Infrastructure and Transport Ministers to establish a national digital signalling pathway, strengthened rail governance, and faster rolling stock approvals, has strong support from across the industry.
To find out more about how these reforms are shaping a more competitive, connected and interoperable rail system read our article in Rail Express