The Whistle Board Newsletter – No. 71, July 2020

A Message from our CEO

I am pleased to announce that RISSB has today released its 2020 / 2021 industry driven work plan, which includes close to 30 publications and 16 major projects that will be delivered over a two year horizon.

Our work plan is a result of RISSB’s overhauled project planning process and heralds a new era for RISSB. In addition to delivering ACOP Standards, Guidelines, Codes of Practice and Rules, RISSB now has a brand-new Major Projects portfolio set up to address industry-wide issues. This new and holistic approach demonstrates that RISSB is future-focused and has the resources to address industry’s greatest current and future challenges now. This is across all areas of rail safety including track worker safety, national rules, train control interoperability, noise, and adoption of new technology.

Input from stakeholders directly informs the development of our priorities and the vital publications that we make available to industry. The work plan was developed after significant consultation with CEOs, other senior industry executives and Standing Committees who shared their challenges and helped us determine the priorities that will create a safer and more productive industry.

Throughout the year, RISSB will be managing the development of a total of 29 publications comprising reviews, resubmissions from the previous year’s priority planning process (PPP), AS 1085 series of documents still transitioning from Standards Australia and projects put forward and endorsed by Standing Committees

Taking into consideration the impact of COVID-19 on the rail industry, improved workflows, revised Development Group membership requirements, and streamlined internal processes will ensure ongoing Development Group commitments are optimised during what continues to be a challenging time for all.

Our new Major Projects portfolio will enable RISSB to address key safety challenges facing the industry, focus on activities that directly address the needs of its stakeholders, and deliver step change improvements for the benefit of the Australian rail industry through a number of workstreams: Track Worker Safety, National Rules, National Vehicle Register, Train Control Interoperability, Noise, Technology Benefit Realisation and the National Rail Action Plan.

New and existing Major Project activities that flow from this new component of the work plan include:

• Implementing the comprehensive track worker safety program released in May.
• Continuing the national rules project, including development of a new national communications rule and producing a pipeline of harmonised and industry endorsed rules.
•  Developing a national vehicle register for rail vehicle identification.
• Commissioning Phase 2 of the train control interoperability project,  building on the outcomes from the Technical Assessment Report, to explore technological solutions to bridge the interface gap between control systems and how they might be funded.
• Progressing work currently underway to support the National Rail Action Plan including identifying common rules for infrastructure Standards, common Standards for components of rolling stock, common rules for safe work, and interoperability.
• Producing a report exploring the level of deployment, and remaining opportunity, for condition monitoring in Australia. The research underpinning the report recommendations will explore the case for broader deployment of (remote) condition monitoring systems and more sophisticated use of condition monitoring data in asset management.
• Developing a report and industry Code of Practice to control horn noise levels in built up areas and a report outlining current good practice in minimising wheel squeal.
• Launching a new web-based technology sharing platform. The technologies uncovered as part of condition monitoring research and past work (Monash’s work on Innovations and Trends) would be made available in a single, accessible location.  This “resource hub” will provide free technology-related information and links to suppliers, making the relationship between the new technology supplier and potential customer easier to facilitate.

Capping off what has already been a successful year for RISSB, in 2019 / 2020 RISSB delivered an impressive 21 Standards, Codes of Practice and Guidelines bringing the total number of publications RISSB has in its vast catalogue to more than 220. In addition to these projects, RISSB also published The National Rules Framework and a report Assessment of Interoperability Issues from the Proposed Introduction of New Train Control Systems; these are noteworthy achievements in themselves.

The full list of documents published over the past year is available in the table below this message.

Over the course of the next few months, RISSB will be putting out calls for Development Group members and putting forward draft Standards through its normal call for public consultation for review and consideration. If you would like to get involved, please continue to read our email communications and apply to join a Development Group.

I hope that by giving you some insight into how we incorporate your feedback into our processes and planning, you are encouraged to keep sharing your thoughts with us as we rely on and value your input to ensure that we continue to add value to the industry and drive improvements in safety, standardisation and efficiency.

I also hope that you are as excited by the new work plan as we are! If you have any questions about our forward work plan, our major projects or publications, or would like to get in contact with RISSB to discuss participation in the development of a Standard, please email jbaker@rissb.com.au.

Thank you for your on-going support.

AS 7501R Rolling Stock Certification 
AS 7705 Level Crossing Monitoring Systems
AS 7479 Collision Avoidance and Proximity Warning on Track Maintenance Vehicles Including RRVs
Guideline Network and Operational Performance
Code of Practice Rail Cyber Security for Rolling Stock & Train Control Systems
Guideline Requirements for the Procurement of Rolling Stock
AS 1085.22R Specification for Alternate Material Sleepers
AS 7704 Train Control Systems Change Management
AS 7724 Rolling stock - Unauthorized Movement Protection
AS 7511R On Board Train Protection Systems
AS 7473 Complex System Integration in Railways
AS 7663R Signal Cables
AS 1085.20R Welding of Steel Rail
AS 1085.21R Turnouts, Switches and Crossings
AS 7633R Railway Infrastructure Clearances 
Guideline R Security Handbook Vol 1 and 2
Guideline R Consolidation of Public Level Crossings