<p>The Government and the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) have signed landmark agreements to continue reform of the rail industry, Commonwealth transport minister John Anderson said.</p> <p>Mr Anderson and ARA chief executive officer Bryan Nye agreed to transfer a voluntary code of practice to the rail industry.</p> <p>The national code of practice aims to provide a consistent approach to rail safety accreditation and operations regulation on the defined interstate rail network (DIRN).</p> <p>The ARA said it had been negotiating with the Commonwealth for some time on the transfer and regarded its completion as "a major milestone" in the drive to improve interstate rail uniformity.</p> <p>Mr Anderson said the government wanted to help the rail reforms because of the forecast increase in demand for transport over the next 20 years.</p> <p>The code would set out a national approach for many operational and engineering practices, he said.</p> <p>"Our colonial predecessors did not just adopt different rail gauges," Mr Anderson said.</p> <p>"They adopted different operating practices as well.</p> <p>"The code is eliminating a host of historical differences that have long impeded the efficient working of the rail network, particularly for interstate freight."</p> <p>Mr Anderson and Mr Nye also signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a cooperative framework for regulatory reform and future development of the code.</p> <br />
