29 Sep 2026

ARISO and RSSB CEOs meet in London to unlock safer, smarter rail standards for Australia

Australia’s rail industry will gain a stronger link to global standards expertise after ARISO Chief Executive Officer Alan Fedda signed a new partnership agreement with RSSB Chief Executive Mark Phillips in London today.

The meeting will progress a new strategic partnership between the Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO) and the UK’s Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), focused on helping Australia develop quality standards to improve safety, lift productivity, support interoperability and reduce whole-of-life rail costs.

The partnership comes as Australia prepares for major investment in digital rail, signalling modernisation and nationally consistent approaches to technical assurance. It will connect Australian industry with RSSB’s experience in evidence-based standards, rail safety, risk, research and benefits realisation.

Mr Fedda said the London meeting was an important opportunity to build a practical relationship with one of the world’s most experienced rail standards organisations.

“This is about making global experience useful for Australia,” Mr Fedda said. “By working directly with RSSB, ARISO can help industry avoid duplication, make standards easier to adopt, and support the safer, more productive railway Australia needs for the future.”

For ARISO, that message goes to the heart of its role as Australia’s national technical coordination body: helping industry develop standards that are clear, proportionate, risk-based and practical to use.

Through the collaboration, ARISO and RSSB will explore opportunities to share expertise in standards development, technical assurance, digital railway technologies, adoption frameworks and industry capability building.

The aim is to help Australian rail stakeholders use standards as gateways to innovation, not gatekeepers that add complexity and cost.