THE Australian railway industry will continue to face inefficiencies, higher costs and missed opportunities unless it harmonises standards, a new report has warned.

The Harmonisation of Rail Standards Research Report was jointly funded by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), National Transport Commission (NTC), Office of National Rail Industry Coordination (ONRIC) and the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB), and was prepared by GHD Advisory.

Among the recommendations is the establishment of a national body to oversee the development, in conjunction with industry, of a National Rail Standards Harmonisation Strategy.

The report also identifies several key initiatives aimed at increasing operational interoperability and improving type approval processes to enable better economies of scale for suppliers, as well as improving safety and reducing training costs.

The Australian rail industry is hampered by the legacy of a fragmented and inconsistent network. It consists of 29 separate rail networks, each using different standards, codes and rule books, and varying technologies and processes for building, operating and accessing rail infrastructure.

The report says harmonised standards would support more widespread adoption of new technology and innovation, as well as decarbonisation initiatives, by the Australian rail sector, helping to increase rail’s modal share. It highlights the industry’s acknowledgement of the need to mandate the adoption of some key standards to address the interoperability barriers, similar to the approach applied in the European Union (EU) through its Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI). Together, the bodies involved in developing the report are now considering proposals to determine the next steps.

Rigorous analysis

ARA CEO, Ms Caroline Wilkie, says the report offers a “rigorous analysis” that informs ways to address current challenges in rail interoperability and prioritises the highest-value areas of harmonisation.

“It is critical that industry works together and with government to reduce costs and inefficiencies in the rail industry to ensure a more sustainable, productive and safer railway network,” Wilkie says.

“Rail standards harmonisation, particularly in key areas such as signalling and control system standards, would foster technical and operational interoperability, enabling freight and passenger rail to move more easily between major cities and regions.”

The report’s key recommendations include:

  • identifying the resourcing and capability needed for a fit-for-purpose national standard-setting organisation
  • modifying the role of Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR)
  • evaluating the relevance of international standards before developing Australian standards
  • retaining co-regulation for any standard not considered of sufficient benefit to be mandated
  • establishing a legal mechanism to allow infrastructure managers and operators to facilitate the transition to a mandatory standards regime
  • undertaking a cost:benefit analysis for specific standards to inform transition cost support, and
  • conducting an internal audit of existing infrastructure manager and operator standards.

Mr Damien White, chief executive of RISSB, points out that 20 years since the industry established RISSB to support the harmonisation of standards, voluntary efforts have not been enough to initiate consistent application of standards.

“This report reaffirms the value of consistent standards,” he says.

“Over $A 155bn is forecast to be invested in rail over the next 15 years, which represents a previously unseen level of infrastructure spending. Given the magnitude of expenditure, even modest efficiency improvements resulting from the appropriate application of harmonised national standards have the potential to generate significant investment returns from operational interoperability and rail equipment supply.”