To ensure we best engage with and represent our 130 plus member organisations, we split rail into four sectors; passenger, freight, contractors and suppliers.

Each of these sectors is led by an Executive Committee that reports to our Board and has developed their own strategies and implementation plans to guide our priorities.  The diagram below illustrates this approach.

More Information

For more information on these portfolios or Executive Committees, click through as required:

• Passenger Transport Group
• Freight Transport Group
• Rail Contractors Group
• Rail Industry Group

To discuss these groups or seek more information, please contact our office via ara@ara.net.au.

The National Rail Safety Data Strategy 2018 – 2022 (the strategy) has been developed as a partnership between the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and rail industry representatives to achieve consistent, quality and accurate national rail safety data that is readily available to stakeholders to make rail safety decisions.  
 
The strategy is an exciting opportunity for all stakeholders to re-evaluate why, what and how of national rail safety data collection and dissemination.  The critical first step will be identification and agreement of one national rail safety data set. 
 
It is envisaged that the development of such a consolidated resource will provide significant administrative benefits and improve access to rail safety data.  
 
ONRSR, ARA and the wider rail industry will work together over the next three years to implement the Action Plan in its entirety.
 
Implementation of the broader strategy, which reflects the many changes to Australia’s rail safety landscape over the last decade - including the advent of ONRSR as a national safety regulator, will most likely result in changes to Rail Safety National Law. 
 
Any such legislative amendments will be the subject of Ministerial Council approval following widespread and timely industry consultation. 
 
A copy of the National Data Strategy 2018 – 2022 and Action Plan is available here.
 
To be involved, please contact Emma Woods via ewoods@ara.net.au or 02 6270 4507.
 

The Smart Rail Route Map is a 30-year framework which defines the rail industry direction, development initiatives and research programs required to underpin the successful integration and support of next-generation digital and telecommunications technologies.

Smart Rail aims to drive a coordinated industry focus to the adoption and deployment of these next generation technologies by establishing a common view of priorities, themes, timelines and actions.  It focuses on improving the industry's ability to adopt and keep pace with telecommunication and information-based technologies and endeavours to improve standardisation, integration and harmonisation over the next 30 years.

A high-level executive steering committee will prioritise and oversee the implementation and development of the priorities, actions and initiatives outlined in Smart Rail.

Smart Rail Priorities

• Passenger rail safety, timeliness, convenience and value-added services
• Freight customer cost-effective services and on-time delivery
• Harmonised and integrated public transport systems that enable seamless end to end journeys
• Cost effective and efficient customer-centric operations
• Smart asset management and maintenance
• Workforce digital and technological skills and competencies
• A national versus an independent approach

More Information

For more information, please contact programs@ara.net.au or 02 6270 4503.

In 2019 and beyond, rail is more important than ever.
 
As Australian cities continue to grow and our freight task increases, the pressure on our road network also increases. Avoiding and reducing congestion is one of the biggest benefits that can be achieved from moving passengers by rail and moving freight from road to rail.
 
Properly planned and funded rail, integrated with other transport modes can ease congestion, reduce travel times, increase commuters’ access to transport, making cities more liveable and our economy more productive.
 
New light and heavy rail urban passenger projects are underway or planned in most Australian capitals and Inland Rail is being built as the backbone of our national freight supply chain.
Fast and High Speed Rail projects are now under consideration to better link our cities and regions.
 
Rail is an important industry for the Australian economy, supporting hundreds of companies that build infrastructure and rolling stock, manufacture and supply goods and deliver professional services whilst employing more than a hundred and fifty thousand Australians, in our cities and regions.
Rail is a sustainable industry, with one peak hour Sydney train replacing 800 cars and one freight train removing 110 trucks from our roads, while reducing carbon and other polluting emissions.
 
The Australasian Railway Association, in consultation with the 151 rail organisations we represent, has identified several important issues that the next Australian government must deal with to ensure Australia maximises the benefits of its considerable infrastructure investment.  We have categorised the following priorities and developed specific policy proposals for consideration.  Find the policies here. 
 
The Australasian Railway Association has also compiled an overview of the Rail related election policies from the two major parties which can be viewed here.

The New South Wales and Victorian Governments have mapped their significant infrastructure projects occurring in rail to develop a pipeline of projects.
 
The New South Wales pipeline can be viewed here.
 
The Victorian pipeline can be viewed here.
 
These pipelines will assist the rail industry to plan for upcoming projects in rail.
The pipelines will help the industry plan for the skills gaps identified in our skills capability study. 
 
For further information please contact Robert Wilson via email or on (02) 6270 4524

The rail industry has continued to provide essential services to the public during COVID-19. We thank the many people within our industry that have introduced new measures to keep our trains, trams and light rail services going and to make sure vital freight connections were available to get goods where they were needed most.

The ARA has worked closely with its members during this time to ensure a whole of industry response to COVID-19. We continue to meet regularly with our members as we move to the recovery phase to ensure the rail industry can continue to support our economy and communities.

COVID-19 member survey

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) surveyed 58 Australian and New Zealand rail suppliers, contractors and freight operators in April about the impact of COVID-19 on their business.  Key findings included:

• Constraints on the international shipment of goods and a decline in customer spending were the biggest impacts of COVID-19 on the rail industry
• The most important thing governments could do to support the recovery was maintain their project pipeline
• There is a significant opportunity for local manufacturing and production, with 75 per cent of participants considering changes to their supply chain planning to seek more suppliers within Australia or their home state

To view the survey results and see how our members are preparing for recovery, click here.

Advocating for the rail industry during COVID-19

The ARA has been engaging with government regularly on the unique issues facing the rail industry during COVID-19.

The ARA highlighted the importance of rail freight being deemed an essential service and made exempt from state and territory border controls. The Transport and Infrastructure Council (TIC) has since released a communique committing to keeping freight and freight dependent activities running during this time.

We continue to advocate for infrastructure construction in the industry to continue, and the importance of maintaining a resilient rail supply chain. ARA CEO Caroline Wilkie met with the COVID-19 Coordination Commission to discuss rail recovery plans as part of this process.

Stimulus projects

According to our members, maintaining the current project pipeline and funding new stimulus projects are the two most important decisions governments can take to support the rail industry in the wake of COVID-19. The ARA has identified a number of stimulus projects across the country that will ensure the sustainability of the industry and create jobs to support our recovery. The Board and management team have met with a number of federal, state and territory ministers to discuss proposed stimulus measures.

We have also welcomed the announcement that the Regional Rail Revival Program in Victoria will receive additional funding. You can read our media release here. 

Valuable Resources

The following publicly available resources include useful information that may be relevant to businesses operating in the rail industry:

• Australian COVID-19 website
• Safework Australia COVID-19 information for workplaces
• COVIDSafe plan for businesses
• TrackSAFE compilation of Mental Health Resources
• ONRSR Response to COVID-19
• UITP Management of COVID-19 Guidelines for Public Transport Operators
• Australian Taxation Office COVID-19 Guidance material
• New Zealand COVID-19 website
• New Zealand Ministry of Health website

Rail has long been identified as a sustainable mode of transport when compared to alternatives. In recent years, a growing number of organisations within the industry have taken steps to further embed sustainability across their operations.

As we continue to strive towards an even more sustainable industry, we are committed to ensuring rail remains an industry that benefits the wider economy and community, now and in the future.

The ARA supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and believes the rail industry is well positioned to continue to contribute to the sustainable development of our cities, towns and communities. It can do this by:

• Encouraging the use of public transport and ensuring we can support the growth of the network over time
• Ensuring a safe, fair and diverse workplace culture within our industry
• Supporting sustainable development across the asset lifecycle

The ARA Young Leaders Advisory Board (Y-LAB) has established sustainability as a priority focus area and will help guide our work in this area over the coming years.

The ARA launched its research report, Finding the fast track for innovations in the Australasian rail industry in October 2020.
 
The report calls for rail innovation to be made a national priority through the creation of a new national body and dedicated investment in research and innovation. It confirms the need for a single Australian rail market with a national local content policy, replacing the current state-based and fragmented procurement processes.
 
With $155 billion in rail investment planned in Australia in the next 15 years, new measures to support innovation are urgently needed to make sure that investment delivers an efficienct, modern and responsive network that meets the needs of the economy and community.
 
The ARA continues to advocate for policy settings that support stronger innovation and technology adoption in Australia.
 
Read more on the report and its key findings:
 
Full report - Finding the fast track for innovation in the Australasian rail industry
 
Fact sheet - Fast tracking rail innovation
 
Fact sheet - Innovation in the Australian rail industry
 
Fact sheet - Rail innovation and the post pandemic opportunity
 
Policy brief - Fast tracking rail innovation
 
Media release - Urgent rail innovation focus required as Australia slips further behind
 
Online launch recording - Major Research: Fast Tracking Rail Innovation - report findings and panel discussion, 22 October, 2020
 
Online launch slides - Major Research: Fast Tracking Rail Innovation presentation, 22 October, 2020
 
 
For more information, contact ARA General Manager Supply Chain Natalie Currey.

The ARA launched its Faster Rail Report in February 2021.
 
The report sets out a three-step plan required to get Australia's network up to speed and highlights how the rail industry can deliver faster, more reliable and more frequent services, both through upgrades to its existing network and the creation of dedicated fast rail projects. 
 
Read more on the report and its key findings:
 
Full report - Faster Rail
 
Fact sheet - Faster Rail in Australia
 
Fact sheet - Faster Rail in NSW
 
Fact sheet - Faster Rail in VIC
 
Fact sheet - Faster Rail in QLD
 
Consumer research - The impact of faster rail in NSW, Victoria and Queensland
 
Media release - Research confirms faster rail key to post pandemic growth
 
Media release - Sydneysiders to lead post COVID rush to regions but faster rail needed
 
Media release - Geelong Fast Rail to cut travel times, fuel post pandemic regional book
 
Media release - Investment needed for SEQ fast rail network
 
Online launch recording - Major Research Launch: Faster Rail report - Bringing Australia's rail network up to speed - report findings and panel discussion, February 16 2021
 
Your questions answered - Faster Rail report: Panel discussion questions and answers
 
For more information, contact ARA Director Corporate Services Emma Woods.

The ARA launched its report on The Australian Rail Supply Chain in March 2021. It sets out nine key areas for action to support a strong and sustainable rail supply chain. We are now working with our members to develop a blueprint to progress these recommendations.
Read more on the report:
 
Report - The Australian Rail Supply Chain
 
Fact sheet - Key findings and recommendations
 
Media release - Urgent reform needed to make the most of next infrastructure construction boom
 
Case study - Driving innovation through research