GoldlinQ hosted the ARA at their offices for our last Safety Policy Committee (SPC) meeting for 2024 prior to AusRAIL 2024, held on the Gold Coast week.  

The Office of National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) gave an update on various matters including the Rail Safety National Law, particularly on how it might address interoperability and productivity; the National Rail Action Plan; train visibility at level crossings; and various operational matters.  

The committee also discussed increasing concerns for e-rideables on our passenger networks and how they can be managed safely. We had a very important discussion about psychosocial safety including a presentation from the industry’s ‘Psychosocial Risk Management Working Group’; and we agreed that these two groups should stay in close contact.  

With the ‘National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers’ now live, we had a discussion on how that change has gone and most rail companies reported a relatively seamless introduction. Thank you to GoldlinQ for your generous hospitality. The ARA Safety Policy Committee looks forward to advancing safety matters further in 2025.