Latest News

ONRSR has commenced its first prosecution against a rail safety worker for attempting to provide synthetic urine when directed to provide a sample for routine drug and alcohol testing.

The NSW Rail Safety (Adoption of National Law) Regulation 2018 is being amended.

Every two years ONRSR reviews its national priorities, those areas of regulatory focus that apply to multiple jurisdictions and operators and warrant a sustained period of regulatory attention.

In late 2021, Federal and State Transport Ministers endorsed ONRSR’s policy to mandate in-cab audio and video on mainline passenger and freight trains.

A review of research, and national and international best practice in relation to train visibility – commissioned by the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has been completed.

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has today issued a new Safety Alert advising rail transport operators that a check and verification process has revealed that a significant number of fraudulent competencies have been uploaded into the Rail Industry Worker (RIW) program.

All rail safety stakeholders across Australia are welcomed to ONRSR’s brand new website.

ONRSR has updated the Identifying Rail Safety Work under the RSNL Guideline which provides guidance on the term “rail safety work”, and outlines how rail transport operators (RTO) can identify rail safety workers as part of their risk management processes.

A brand new digital resource for the rail industry is set to transform the management of safety at more than 20,000 level crossings around Australia.

ONRSR has thrown its weight behind TrackSafe’s Stand Back, Look Up, Stay Rail Safe, campaign, while also using this Rail Safety Week to highlight how its focus on a series of national rail safety priorities is helping keep Australians safe on the rail network.

The contractor management national priority has been scoped to include a 4-phase approach

ONRSR has today issued a new Safety Alert advising rail transport operators to review the risks associated with ‘long end leading’ locomotive operations.

In early June, ONRSR held the first of its new Engauge-ment Forums, meeting with representatives from accredited operators located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Previously badged as Branch Operations Forums (or BOFs), these face-to-face sessions are a great opportunity for industry representatives to get information most relevant to them.

ONRSR, in conjunction with the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB), has released the results of a global investigation into how world standard technology can protect track workers in the Australian rail industry.

The National Rail Safety Data Strategy (the Strategy) is a joint project between the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) and the Australasian Railway Association (ARA). The proposed data set has been developed jointly by ARA, ONRSR and industry representatives.

ONRSR has been progressing the development of a national cost recovery model based on risk and regulatory effort, on behalf of Transport and Infrastructure Ministers. This model represents a significant shift from current cost recovery arrangements.

ONRSR has produced a new industry fact sheet covering its National Priority rail safety issue of control assurance.

ONRSR will soon be releasing a consultation paper on our proposed cost recovery model.

ONRSR has issued a Safety Alert in response to several recent occurrences where level crossings were incorrectly isolated resulting in trains travelling through unprotected level crossings.

ONRSR is providing more information to rail transport operators and network controllers about the common issues we have identified across network control operations in Australia.

ONRSR’s yearly account of rail safety has been released and as the first such report produced since becoming a fully national rail safety regulator, it provides the most comprehensive statistical picture of the Australian rail industry’s safety performance to date.

ONRSR’s ability to take a detailed and formal look at the circumstances behind a specific rail safety issue is a fundamental element of our broader role in administering Rail Safety National Law. But, exactly how does the national regulator approach investigations?

ONRSR has developed a Fatigue Risk Management Guideline to provide practical guidance to rail transport operators on how to manage the fatigue-related risks associated with rail safety work and set out ONRSR’s expectations for meeting the requirements of the RSNL.

ONRSR’s Annual Report 2019–2020 is now available to download.

ONRSR has partnered with the ARA and industry representatives to develop the National Rail Safety Data Strategy with the aim to deliver a relevant, consistent and high-quality national rail safety dataset that is readily available to stakeholders to make rail safety decisions.

It is timely to consider the value of in-cab video and audio recordings in providing critical information about the in-cab environment in the moments leading to a rail incident on Australia’s rail network. This has been highlighted following recent fatal rail incidents and also in response to a number of ATSB investigations, where this information would help provide investigators and the rail industry with critical information that may help to prevent a similar incident from occurring again.

The ONRSR Major Projects Guideline is one of the most accessed of our industry resources and given the significant investments being made in major rail projects around Australia, it is more important than ever.

ONRSR will be using the closing months of 2020 to undertake stakeholder consultation on a range of key policy matters affecting the Australian rail industry.

ONRSR has produced a draft Fatigue Risk Management Guideline to provide practical guidance to rail transport operators on how to manage the fatigue-related risks associated with rail safety work and set out ONRSR’s expectations for meeting the requirements of the RSNL.

ONRSR has developed two new fact sheets for industry to help ensure system upgrades – be they physical or digital - are implemented as seamlessly and safely as possible.

ONRSR is reminding operators of the requirement to verbally report Category A incidents immediately – also noting where two operators are involved, both operators must notify ONRSR.

Changes to the definitions of rail safety work in the Rail Safety National Law will take effect from 1 July 2020 (except in Western Australia). This follows the work of the National Transport Commission and agreement of State and Territory Ministers in November 2019.

With the gradual reopening of services and operations, ONRSR has prepared a Fact Sheet providing Tourist & Heritage operators with relevant information to assist them in complying with all requirements of their safety management system (SMS) after an extended shutdown of operations.

Australia’s leading authorities on rail safety will join forces to identify world standard safety technology that can be deployed to protect workers on our nation’s rail networks.

The ONRSR website has undergone some recent changes; including content updates of existing material and the introduction of new pages.

In response to feedback from Tourist and Heritage operators and, as part of broader stakeholder engagement, ONRSR has been working with the sector to roll out a number of initiatives to support the Tourist and Heritage sector and other smaller less-complex operators.

On a daily basis ONRSR engages with a multitude of rail safety stakeholders in carrying out its functions and pursuing its objectives under Rail Safety National Law.

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has called on the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to immediately commission a fully independent audit of the railway track between Sydney and Melbourne.

ONRSR Chief Executive and National Rail Safety Regulator, Sue McCarrey has reflected on the past decade confident it will be remembered as one of the most telling periods ever for safety and efficiency in the Australian rail sector.

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) will continue its pursuit of safe railways for Australia, buoyed by the key findings of the Productivity Commission’s Draft Report into National Transport Regulatory Reform.

Responsibility for rail safety regulation in Victoria will officially transfer from Transport Safety Victoria (TSV) to the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) from December 2.

Following consultation with NSW rail transport operators (RTOs) and third party testing service providers, ONRSR is introducing changes to the NSW drug and alcohol identity card issuing process.

If you transport dangerous goods by rail, then the following article may be of interest to you.

UPDATE: Please see updated information by following this link.