Supporting a new national approach for rail

The NTC has released a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (C-RIS) setting out proposed reforms to the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL). 

The proposed changes are intended to modernise the RSNL, ensuring it can better support national rail interoperability and greater harmonisation across the industry, while maintaining safety as the primary objective of the law.

The NTC is now seeking feedback on the proposed options, their impacts and how they should be implemented. Learn more and have your say. The closing date to provide feedback is Monday, 4 May 2026. 

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Australia’s infrastructure and transport ministers have agreed to a new three-tier National Rail Standards Framework.
The framework defines:

• Tier 1 - Mandatory standards: what must be done to ensure interoperability and safety across Australia’s rail networks (mandatory standards)  
• Tier 2 - Harmonised standards: what should be done to improve consistency (national standards for harmonisation)
• Tier 3 - Local standards: what can be done to lift efficiencies on individual networks (local standards) where national interoperability is not impacted.

Under  the changes the NTC will continue to develop a small number of mandatory standards for:

• digital train control technology and driver interface
• rolling stock approval processes 

While the Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO) will develop harmonised standards that set out best-practice approaches to align:

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

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Mandatory standards are being developed for:

• digital train control technology and driver interface
• rolling stock approval processes

Harmonisation standards will set out best-practice approaches to align:

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

Local standards provide flexibility for individual networks where national interoperability is not impacted.

The NTC has worked alongside governments and industry to develop this framework. Together with the Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO), Australasian Railway Association (ARA), Office of National Rail Industry Coordination (ONRIC), the Harmonisation of Rail Standards research report was commissioned. 

The report highlighted the need for a national body to oversee the development, implementation and adoption of nationally consistent rail standards.

The NTC along with the Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO), the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and the Office of National Rail Industry Coordination (ONRIC), commissioned the Harmonisation of Rail Standards research report.

The report highlights the need for a stronger rail governance model and a national body to oversee the development, implementation and adoption of nationally consistent rail standards.

Industry consultation has shown that a stronger governance model is essential to delivering a nationally consistent approach to standards and driving interoperability across Australia’s networks.

The NTC is developing oversight arrangements in five key areas:

1. Interoperability assessment – ensuring future network decisions don’t create new barriers to national interoperability
2. National standards development and adoption – coordinating how standards are developed, approved and implemented
3. Rolling stock approvals – improving the consistency and efficiency of approvals across networks
4. Safeworking governance – supporting nationally consistent operating rules and procedures
5. Skills and competency oversight – aligning workforce training and accreditation
   
    

A recent review of Australia’s Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) identified links between safety and interoperability and recommended that interoperability be embedded into the law.

As a first step, an amendment has been made to RSNL regulations, requiring rail transport operators 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.

This marks a shift from the current approach where networks focus on what works best for their own operations.

An Interoperability of Railway Operations Guideline is now available on the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) website to help implement the changes. 

The NTC is exploring further changes to embed interoperability requirements into the RSNL via a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (C-RIS). You can find out more about it and provide feedback here.
 

If you'd like to find out more about how we are helping to support a national approach to rail send us an email or subscribe to our monthly newsletter. 

To make a formal submission in response to our discussion papers, you can find out more here.