Australian consulting company GHD Advisory has prepared a research report on the harmonisation of railway standards in Australia. In examining the barriers to a more competitive and sustainable Australian railway industry, the negative impacts of differing standards were highlighted in several critical areas, including operational interoperability, economies of scale for suppliers, approval processes, decarbonisation efforts, safety, technology adoption, and worker mobility. Without harmonised standards, the report says, the railway industry will continue to face inefficiencies, higher costs and missed opportunities. It proposes several supporting measures, including the provision of resources and skills to an appropriate national standardisation organisation, the modification of the role of the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), the assessment of the relevance of international standards before developing Australian standards, and the implementation of a cost-benefit analysis for certain standards. The report was jointly funded by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), the National Transport Commission (NTC), the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB), and the Office of National Rail Industry Coordination (ONRIC).
