Rail safety
Transport and Main Roads is Queensland’s Rail Safety Regulator. We work with the rail industry to enhance rail safety by:
- conducting regular safety audits of operators
- investigating rail safety incidents
- overseeing compliance with rail safety legislation
- working with rail operators on potential opportunities to improve safety management
- collecting and analysing rail safety incident statistics.
From January 2013, the National Rail Safety Regulator will lead and coordinate the regulation of Queensland’s rail network.
Queensland rail safety laws
On 1 September 2010, the Queensland Government introduced the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010 and the Transport (Rail Safety) Regulation 2010 as part of their commitment toward increasing rail safety in Queensland and aligning with national rail safety standards.
The legislation was a result of extensive consultation with the rail industry, including commercial and not-for-profit tourist and heritage rail transport operators, rail and associated unions, and relevant state and Australian government agencies. Rail operators and the Queensland Government worked together to improve rail safety standards.
The legislation provides for improvements to the:
- safe carrying out of railway operations
- management of risks associated with railway operations
- promotion of public confidence in the safety of transport of passengers or freight by rail.
A range of strategies, including fatigue and emergency management plans and increasing the skill requirements for rail safety workers are now law, demonstrating our commitment to continue improving safety across Queensland's 9800 kilometres of diverse rail corridor.
The legislation affects more than 40 accredited railways operating in Queensland. This includes Queensland Rail, Pacific National, Airtrain, and tourist and heritage rail operators.
The links below will direct you to factsheets containing vital information on the legislation and how it may affect you.
National rail safety reform
The Queensland Government is committed to the national rail safety reform currently headed by the South Australian Government.
Currently, there are seven rail safety regulators in Australia with one in each state regulating accredited railways within their jurisdiction by enforcing state legislation. The reform aims to establish one National Rail Safety Regulator and one piece of national rail safety legislation, the Rail Safety National Law. For industry and government, it is anticipated that the reform will reduce red tape and increase rail safety consistency. This, in turn, will bring cost savings to industry and increase operational efficiency.
The Rail Safety National Law and National Rail Safety Regulator are scheduled to be established by 1 January 2013. The National Rail Safety Regulator will be based in Adelaide with regional offices in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
If the new legislation is enacted, it will affect all accredited railways and their rail safety workers operating in Queensland.
For more information regarding the national rail safety reform, please go to the National Rail Safety Regulator Project Office website.
http://www.nrsrproject.sa.gov.au/
National Rail Safety Investigator
As part of the national rail safety reform it has been proposed that a single investigative body be established that is responsible for all no blame investigations conducted in Australia. No blame investigations are those undertaken where related legislative provisions protect affected parties from criminal prosecution when providing evidence to ensure the best safety outcome.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is in the process of expanding its role, in consultation with jurisdictions, including Queensland, as the single investigative body responsible for all no blame rail investigations in Australia effective from 1 January 2013.
Currently, New South Wales and Victoria are the only states in which no blame investigations are undertaken by transport investigation agencies that are separate and independent of their Rail Safety Regulators. In Queensland, no blame investigations are currently undertaken by the Rail Safety Regulator under the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010.
Level crossing management
Under the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010, all Queensland rail infrastructure managers and road managers must reasonably seek to enter into an interface agreement for road or rail crossings by 1 September 2012. The purpose of the interface agreement provisions is to ensure that rail infrastructure managers and road managers identify risks to safety arising from rail or road crossings; determine measures to manage, so far as reasonably practicable, those risks; and seek to enter into interface agreements to manage the risks.
Transport and Main Roads has developed the guidance manual and interface agreement template to assist rail infrastructure managers and responsible road managers in establishing interface agreements. It is not mandatory to use the template interface agreement when entering into interface agreements, but an agreement must be entered into in a written form.
Rail Safety Systems Assessment of the South East Queensland Rail Network
Transport and Main Roads is undertaking a Rail Safety Systems Assessment of the South East Queensland Rail Network (PDF, 167 KB). The objective of this key project is to advise the Queensland Government on the cost/benefit of implementing safety improvement related:
- engineering systems (such as an automatic train protection systems)
- administrative processes to manage and mitigate specifically identified risks in compliance with prevailing legislation
For more information view the Rail Safety Systems Assessment of Queensland's Metropolitan Rail Network — Terms of Reference (PDF, 65 KB).
Contact details
For information on rail safety accreditation, audits and investigations:
Email Rail Safety Regulation
For information on rail safety legislation, policies and data:
Email Rail Safety Governance
Postal address:
Transport and Main Roads
PO Box 673
Fortitude Valley 4006
Downloads:
Information in this section
