31 Jul 2026
AS 7708 Signalling Earthing and Surge Protection
The closing date for comments – Tuesday 29 September 2026
The latest review of the AS 7708 Signalling Earthing and Surge Protection is now open for Public Consultation.
Contributions from designers, installers, and maintainers of electrical equipment who are experienced in both IT and MEN earthing systems are essential. Experts with technical knowledge in surge protection devices are also encouraged to contribute to ensure the standard is accurate, clear, and practically applicable.
How this product helps the rail industry
Electrical safety is a critical component of the safe operation and maintenance of a railway system. Electrical surges like lightning strikes can place rail safety workers and the public in potentially dangerous situations. Earthing prevents railway infrastructure from becoming live when an electrical fault occurs.
AS 7708 provides requirements and recommendations to assist rail transport operators manage the risks of surges and earth faults in the railway corridor. By adopting a harmonised approach through use of this Standard, safety at interfaces can be improved and the requirement for bespoke training reduced.
About
This Standard describes a set of requirements for the full lifecycle of signalling earthing and surge protection in Australia. It assists rail transport operators manage the risks of lightning, traction and power surges, and earth potential rise from power system faults and cloud-to-ground lightning flashes.
How to contribute
AS 7708 Signalling Earthing and Surge Protection is available for public consultation for 60 days. All interested parties are encouraged to provide comments during this time.
It is available to download here.
To make comments on the draft, please use the commenting tools in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader to comment in-line with the text. If needed you can find instructions here.
Please return your PDF with comments to cfitzhardinge@ariso.org.au by Tuesday 29 September 2026.
As the rail industry’s only accredited Standards Development Organisation (SDO), ARISO collaborates with government, rail operators and industry leaders to improve the efficiency and harmonisation of the Australia’s rail network, ensuring national interoperability, safety and sustainability into the future.