What does the National Transport Commission say about interoperability in rail? An interview with CEO Michael Hopkins

When Australia’s rail network was built, more than 100 years ago, its ability to operate as a single, unified system, was not given much thought.

Between jurisdictions there were different rules, laws, rolling stock, infrastructure, and equipment – and although there has since been a push to even out these differences, the network remains fragmented.

As a result, rail has an increased risk profile and training burden, placing it at a disadvantage to road, where interstate navigation is more seamless, says CEO of the National Transport Network, Michael Hopkins.

As a government entity that reports to all other transport agencies, Mr Hopkins says NTC is acutely aware of the problems this can cause, and is working with industry and governments to harmonise the system through its National Rail Action Plan.

“Imagine if you had to drive from Melbourne to Brisbane, but to do so, you had to get your car registered and obtain a new license in each state on your journey – Victoria, New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland,” Mr Hopkins said.

“Then, on top of that, there were different requirements for the roadworthy assessments and a different approach to obtaining registration. And to carry the analogy further, the road rules were different in each state, and traffic lights didn’t’ mean the same thing.

“That is not unlike the current reality for rail. And if we want rail to have a better chance against road, then we need to be harmonising rail as much as we can,” he added.

Discrepancies in rolling stock assessments and approvals

Mr Hopkins says industry fragmentation is particularly stark in the context of the rolling stock assessment and approval process.

“At the moment we’re in a bizarre situation,” he said. “Infrastructure managers need to convince the regulator that they’re doing things safely, which means rolling stock operators need to convince infrastructure managers, who then need to convince the regulator.

“That means that there are at least 17 different processes across the country, for how infrastructure managers assess and approve rolling stock to run on rail infrastructure.”

With disparities between the testing requirements between networks, Mr Hopkins says there are knock-on consequences for industry.

“Operators on one side of the country might look fondly at new train technology being used on the other side. But, because they know approving this technology will require a costly, state-specific assessment – with no guarantee of a successful outcome – they tend to play it safe.

“So we often see rolling stock operators buying technology from the 1990s or 2000s, simply because they know it’s going to be approved. In turn, we have a system that is stifling innovation,” he said.

Rules discrepancies

Discrepancies between network rules are also problematic, and can hinder recruitment, in a sector that is already stretched.

“We’re about 70,000 skilled workers short in the rail sector and we’re competing with mining and construction. And because all our networks are different, people’s safety training needs repeating – which is off-putting to both prospective employees and the operator. So we’d like to see some consolidation of some of the rule books,” Mr Hopkins said.

While Mr Hopkins said some rule discrepancies between states are necessary, these only account for a small percentage.

“There’s a bulk of rules that we could easily align. The fact that we have PPE high-vis[ibility] vests required in different shades of orange, depending on which state, tells us there are probably some things we can do quite quickly,” he said.

Then, there are other discrepancies in rules, which are harder to resolve, but just as unnecessary as different hi-vis vests.

“Things like safe working rules around working in a live environment – the sort of training requirements that the regulator wants to see, but which are being offered in slightly different ways between jurisdictions and operators.

“When operators have trained staff, it’s often been with a focus – quite understandably – on their own needs, not industry’s broader needs. And so we have these individual, deeply entrenched, systems and a lack of mutual recognition. They don’t easily translate elsewhere in the country,” Mr Hopkins said.

What has been done so far and what can we expect?

To help create universal standards, ministers have already agreed to a three tiered approach, which includes mandatory standards under the National Rail safety law. However, preparation for these involves voluntary input from industry, and uptake is currently low.

“We need to improve the current approach,” Mr Hopkins said. “We will do that by establishing the forums for government and industry to agree standards and creating a requirement for interoperability through the Rail Safety National Law.”

Subject to the regulation being passed by the South Australian Parliament (the host jurisdiction for the Rail Safety National Law), infrastructure managers may soon be required to have Interoperability Management Plans (IMPs).
Mr Hopkins says this will be the first strong message to industry that governments are taking interoperability seriously.

“I imagine it will then drive further interoperability improvements across the industry. That would be an ideal outcome. And we will be there to help anyone who needs it,” he said.

Industry can help shape outcomes

NTC is currently consulting on its work around the National Rail Action Plan, and is encouraging industry to read the plan on its website, and provide their intelligence.

Mr Hopkins will also raise discussions about it at the Urban Rail Conference, later this year.

“Governments are committing to this plan after industry made a strong case to them six years ago. So, we see industry as being instrumental in the delivery of this plan,” he said.

Further insight

Talking more about interoperability in rail, Michael Hopkins will present at the upcoming Urban Rail Conference, hosted by Informa Connect.

This year’s event will be held 25-26 June at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne.

Learn more and register your tickets here.