On 22nd November 2023, the Australian Ministry of Trade and Manufacturing, together with the National Rail Manufacturing Advocate Jacqui Walters, launched the Australian Railway and Innovation Network (AusRRIN). The network will coordinate the railway research efforts of five Australian universities. AusRRIN will be formalised by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Monash University through its Institute of Railway Technology (IRT), Central Queensland University, the University of Queensland, the University of Wollongong, and the University of Technology Sydney. The universities will partner with five rail industry bodies, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB), the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), the Rail Track Association Australia (RTAA), and the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE), to create AusRRIN. The AusRRIN partners will work together to identify and deliver important rail research and innovation needed for the future of Australia's railways, and to support a related rail vehicle manufacturing sector as part of the Australian government's National Rail Manufacturing Plan.
