06 Jul 2026
AS 7643 Track Stability, and the Code of Practice
The closing date for nominations – Monday 27 July 2026
The Australian Rail Industry Standards Organisation (ARISO) is seeking nominations from track engineers and track maintenance subject matter experts with experience across the track lifecycle, to join a combined Development Group to review AS 7643 Track Stability and its accompanying Code of Practice.
How will this help the rail industry?
The Track Stability Standard and its associated Code of Practice guide infrastructure managers to better manage track stability throughout the asset lifecycle, mitigating the risks of rolling stock derailment, infrastructure damage and environmental impact. By adopting AS 7643, Rail Infrastructure Managers can improve track performance and reduce incidents that affect the network and environment. It can also lower impacts to rolling stock for Rolling Stock Operators.
The Standard provides design and maintenance technical requirements which manage the risks driven primarily by changes in temperature, including:
- push out and buckling from compressive forces
- curve pull-in
- rail breaking from tension forces in the rails of jointed, long and continuously welded rail.
About
This combined review will focus on aligning this Standard to AS 7630 Track Classification, and the AS 1085 Track Materials Standard series. It will consider changes to freight demand leading to longer and heavier loads as well as:
- climate change
- inclusion of “slab track” requirements and the recently developed AS 7661 Ballastless Track Systems
- requirements on non-destructive testing methods.
Time commitment
Development Group membership is voluntary and requires the support of your organisation to attend and contribute. A minimum of a day per month time commitment will be required between July 2026 and September 2027. Further information on the responsibilities of a Development Group member can be obtained from the our website.
How to contribute
Stakeholders and interested parties are invited to submit nominations for rail industry experts to join this Development Group to contribute to the overall depth and quality of the product.
Click on the options below to either:
The closing date for nominations is Monday 27 July 2026.
As the rail industry’s only accredited Standards Development Organisation (SDO), ARISO continues to collaborate with government, rail operators and industry leaders to improve the efficiency and harmonisation of the Australia and New Zealand’s rail network, ensuring national interoperability, safety and sustainability into the future.