There is now a digital ‘light on the hill’ for the Australian rail industry, with Australia’s infrastructure and transport ministers making significant decisions on a national signalling pathway, rail governance and speedier approvals for rolling stock.
An interoperable rail system is a National Cabinet priority, and ministers have now agreed to align signalling technology across Australia’s major connected freight and passenger network, known as the National Network for Interoperability (NNI).
“We wanted to avoid each Australian rail network adopting their own system and creating a new digital break-of-gauge between networks,” said Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King.
“To truly unlock the potential of rail, we are committed to improving harmonisation and interoperability across the sector. This means streamlining regulations and standards nationwide.”
The decision by King and her state and territory counterparts means that all digital signalling introduced on the NNI in future must meet mandatory European Train Control System or ETCS standards, so trains fitted with ETCS technology can move seamlessly across rail lines connecting Australia’s busiest cities, regions and ports.
“The ideal is that freight trains will be able to move from the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) network to the network of another operator, and utilise a consistent signalling system,” King said, adding that ministers had also strengthened the role of the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) to ensure Australia has consistent, industry-led rail standards.
“This is a monumental decision, akin to the announcement last century to have a standard gauge across the country,” National Transport Commission (NTC) Chair Carolyn Walsh explained.
New South Wales Secretary of Transport, Josh Murray, agreed, saying the significance of the states, territories and the Commonwealth agreeing to pursue a common digital operating system was hard to overstate.
“It’s the modern-day equivalent of finally choosing between VHS and Betamax, but for all the nation’s passenger and freight train control systems.”
Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Chief Executive Caroline Wilkie said the decision ends historic incompatibility across the national network and will deliver significant benefits for the rail industry and rail customers.
“It is pleasing to see meaningful progress being made to deliver a more productive and safer national rail network,” she said.
Getting agreement on a single digital signalling technology and stronger rail governance is a turning point for the future of rail in Australia that will improve efficiency, reduce costs and, importantly, improve the safety of railways, Walsh said.
“It will help to improve reliability and transit times, increase local manufacturing opportunities and help to reduce emissions through better fuel efficiency.
“This is a powerful step forward to improve rail’s competitiveness and ensure it is the transport mode of choice for both passengers and freight customers.”
Supporting a digital future
The ARTC said the decision on a national technology pathway and accelerated rolling stock approvals goes hand in hand with modernising and digitising the network.
It’s working closely with the NTC to support the rollout of ETCS across the NNI. ARTC will lead the development of ETCS for non-urban environments, collaborating with other below rail operators, customers, governments and suppliers.
A trackside and onboard roll-out strategy will consider the best order and timeline to fit ETCS technologies onto trains and tracks, while the development of a cost-sharing framework by the NTC will support future investment strategies. Infrastructure Australia also has a “value for money” rollout of aligned national signalling on its national priority list.
“Digital systems will give us great information allowing us to monitor the performance of the networks and get more efficient and targeted on the maintenance of our tracks and trains,” Walsh said.
The broad adoption of ETCS provides a common digital language so this information can be tapped into and shared across networks for the benefit of all.
“In my view, this is only the beginning. What it provides is a platform that supports all railways, whether they’re on the NNI or not, in their investments because they’ll have lower costs through the supply chain.
“It will also give their workers the ability to work across the industry without having to retrain every time they move onto a different network.”
A new, stronger RISSB
Another significant decision by ministers at their August meeting in Melbourne was to endorse a strengthened model for rail standards development in Australia.
The decision builds on joint research commissioned by the ARA, NTC, RISSB and the Office of National Rail Industry Coordination (ONRIC) that recommended RISSB be “recast” to overcome 20 years of low adoption of national standards.
NTC Chief Executive Officer Michael Hopkins said the move from an individual network focus to a national strategic focus was required for developing, assessing, assuring and adopting national standards to support greater consistency across rail technology, rolling stock, infrastructure, skills and training.
Three options to improve rail governance were considered by ministers. These included: an expanded role for the national regulator to develop technical standards; a more effective rail standards body; or a new statutory body.
Given the urgency of the national productivity agenda to do more with less, ministers rejected the costly and complex task of setting up a new body and found RISSB was uniquely placed.
An extended role for the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) as a standard making and technical advice body was ruled out due to a perceived and potential conflict for the regulator to be both the “standard setter” and enforcer of the law. With the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) requiring rail transport operators to identify and manage risk; and the Regulator to monitor and enforce compliance.
Ministers agreed instead to ask more of existing bodies to drive the step-change needed.
“They agreed that the best way of continuing national reforms in a co-regulatory environment was for industry-led organisations to be involved in developing national standards with stronger alignment to national priorities,” Hopkins said.
This will be a significant shift from Australia’s current voluntary approach to standards adoption, towards a strategic and coordinated national approach that binds public and private rail operators together.
It requires a strengthened standards body with teeth, and a more proactive role for the
regulator following the recent RSNL review. Further analysis of options to strengthen ONRSR’s powers around interoperability will be explored as part of the consultation regulatory impact assessment for RSNL reforms, already approved by ministers and out for public engagement in early 2026.
The ARA and RISSB welcomed the ministers’ decision on strengthened national standards governance.
RISSB Chair Gillian Miles said RISSB members expected the new RISSB will be industry led.
“It will bring public and private operators and suppliers to the table, with unions and governments to harmonise rail standards and to implement the national rail standards,” Miles said.
“We have a big task ahead of us as we continue to work closely with the NTC to develop and deliver the three-tier National Rail Standards Framework of mandatory, harmonised and local standards,” RISSB Chief Executive Officer Alan Fedda added.
“To set ourselves up for our new expanded role, we’ve commenced a redesign of our standards development process, to be supported by broader technical capability and resources and the governance structure that incentivises greater adoption and harmonisation of standards across our sector,” he said.
Wilkie said it is critical for the rail industry to have a strong, capable and appropriately resourced national standards setting body.
“The ARA welcomes the decision to strengthen RISSB in the framework,” she said.
Under the changes, the NTC, through the National Rail Action Plan, will continue to co-ordinate the development of a small number of mandatory standards for approval by ministers, with input from all. Harmonised standards that support interoperability will be led by RISSB.
Australia’s first three mandatory standards will focus on digital train control technology, driver interface and a rolling stock approvals process.
The governance reform builds on:
The National Rail Standards Framework with its must do/should do/can do logic
The NNI as the focus area of reforms
A requirement that all operators on the NNI have an Interoperability Management Plan that ensures they consider network impacts ahead of major investments.
“This unified approach will form the backbone of Australia’s future rail system and deliver long-term benefits for the nation,” Hopkins added.
A nationwide approach to rolling stock approvals
Along with the decision on ETCS and governance reforms ministers also supported a national pathway to make it easier to get new trains running across multiple networks, as well as a national procurement approach for passenger rolling stock to maximise local industry participation, grow manufacturing capability, and strengthen supply chain resilience.
“Transport ministers want to really ensure that we’re using rail effectively as part of the transport mix to reduce emissions and improve safety as we get more dense populations moving more freight and more people,” Walsh said.
It’s moving Australia towards a rail system where trains only have to go through one approval process to be accepted on every major railway and can then travel seamlessly across these railways getting the full safety and productivity benefits of each network ’s safety management system. Where rail workers can move easily between jobs anywhere in the country and local manufacturers can scale up knowing the trains and components they make will not be limited to a handful of customers.
Right now, operators must register and get approval on every jurisdiction they travel over. Each network has its own unique rolling stock approval and testing process which can vary in length and complexity. In some cases, it can take longer to get a train approved to run across the country than it does to build it.
Simplifying and harmonising this process is a “quick win” for the rail sector. The NTC and various states and rail infrastructure managers (RIMs) have been working on separate projects to this end.
By endorsing a national pathway for rolling stock approvals – developed by Transport for New South Wales in partnership with the NTC – Australia’s transport ministers are ensuring these initiatives are all pushing towards the same long-term vision.
The pathway consolidates and coordinates the various programs including work that the NTC is doing with governments and industry to develop safety assurance guidance, develop and pilot a single application form, and harmonise testing arrangements, as well as jurisdiction-related projects including harmonised interface standards, the New South Wales network acceptance process, and RISSB’s rolling stock register and registration system.
It’s a huge job and the intent of the national pathway is to progressively build towards the national vision, starting with a pilot involving a small group of RIMs and scaling up, Hopkins said.
Collaboration for the digital age
NTC is also working with governments and industry on the development of a nationally-recognised ETCS curriculum to streamline training. The curriculum will ensure everyone trained in ETCS in Australia will have consistent skills and knowledge that they can apply in any jurisdiction.
“ETCS is effectively here,” Mary Hetherington, Director of Competency and Learning at Transport for New South Wales, said at the recent NTC Future Rail Skills Forum.
“It’s really important to start developing a national ETCS curriculum now, so Australia has the level of expertise that we can rely on as we upgrade more and more track and trains into the future.”
Preparing Australia’s rail system with the skills and technologies needed to meet future demand relies on total collaboration between Commonwealth, state and territory jurisdictions, regulators and the rail sector, Walsh said.
“Right now, there is such strong support for getting this reform achieved. Having ministers reach an agreement like this is a real turning point for railways in Australia.”
