The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) lodged its submission on the reform of the Rail Safety National Law (RSNL) this week, recommending a mechanism to provide national oversight of rail interoperability for the first time.

In the submission to the National Transport Commission (NTC), the ARA supported proposed legislative reforms to empower the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) to drive interoperability improvements across the rail industry, while noting it must maintain safety as its top priority.

The ARA also recommended further consideration of funding, specialised capability to assess interoperability, and governance mechanisms to facilitate industry engagement to support the transition to this new approach.

While the ARA welcomed the elevation of interoperability as a priority for the national regulator, it cautioned against a ‘one size fits all’ approach to implementation. For example, a reform that may be appropriate for interstate shared-access operations may not be appropriate for isolated or dedicated networks with limited interoperability interfaces. Reform implementation should therefore focus on areas where interoperability benefits can be meaningfully realised and avoid imposing disproportionate obligations where they are limited, like the NNI (National Network for Interoperability) and interfacing networks.

The RSNL reform process will modernise the RSNL to better support a safer, more efficient rail system. It is focused on improved interoperability, reduced duplication and enabling national standards and coordination.

The ARA looks forward to working with government and industry as the reforms to the RSNL continue to progress.

Read the ARA’s submission here.