The National Transport Commission (NTC) will host a webinar to discuss the rationale for introducing mandatory standards as part of the National Rail Action Plan.
The move from manual signalling to digital train control technology across Australia’s rail system presents an opportunity for a step-change in the productivity and capacity of existing rail networks, as well as safety and environmental benefits.
The NTC said these will only be fully achieved if the different digital systems are interoperable, allowing trains to get the full safety and productivity benefits of each network they travel over.
To help make this happen, the NTC is working with governments and industry through the National Rail Action Plan, to coordinate the rollout of the new systems across the National Network for Interoperability.
This includes the development of Australia’s first mandatory standards for digital train control technology.
The webinar, to be held on Thursday, 12 June, will introduce a discussion paper that explores the scope for these new standards.
The paper draws on lessons learnt from 20 years of international experience and looks at ways the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs) could be adapted for use in Australia.
It also identifies key elements that must be specified or aligned to ensure interoperability.
The paper will be made available following the webinar and follow-up sessions will be held to step through the technical content in more detail.
Those interested can register to attend on the NTC website.
