31 Aug 2026
Five-year work program plan: delivering a new era for Australian rail
The five-year agreement between Australian Governments and ARISO marks an important new chapter for Australia’s rail industry. It solidifies the commitment and resources for ARISO to take a strong national leadership role in transforming how rail standards are developed, harmonised and adopted.
The five-year work program that ARISO will be delivering is built around three core areas:
- a new national approach to standards development
- leadership of the national harmonisation effort for Tier 2 standards
- stronger support for industry adoption and implementation.
Work is progressing at pace to develop a modern, fit-for-purpose standards development process, supported by more robust assurance arrangements and a prioritisation methodology to identify the standards that can deliver the greatest national benefits. This will create a clear pipeline of priority work and provide greater confidence in the national standards process as ARISO moves to develop mandatory and harmonised standards.
A major focus will be targeted harmonisation. ARISO will work with governments and industry to identify and address differences in standards and rules where doing so can deliver the greatest safety, productivity and economic returns. Just as importantly, ARISO will support industry to adopt the resulting standards and realise the benefits of harmonisation.
The work program will also prepare Australia for the transition to digital railways. This includes developing supporting standards for the rollout of the European Train Control System (ETCS) and other digital technologies, as well as developing a more consistent national rule book with fewer, higher-quality operational rules.
Through the five-year program, ARISO will become the national technical source of authoritative, system-wide advice on standards development, coordination and implementation.
It is an ambitious industry-led change program, one that will require a significant uplift in technical capability and strong engagement.
One of ARISO’s immediate priorities is to bring on this expanded capability for example in systems engineering, engagement, economic and benefits analysis, adoption and change management as we now turn our focus on implementation.
Ultimately, the program is about more than developing standards. It is about turning national standards into practical outcomes that improve interoperability, safety and productivity, helping Australian rail meet growing freight and passenger demand and play a bigger role in the nation’s transport future.