What does a signalling change owe the parties at the interface?
A signalling change rarely stops at the fence. It changes the risks at a level crossing, at the boundary with another operator, or at a private siding. The law makes the parties identify those risks and seek an interface agreement, and a designer or supplier of the signalling carries its own safety duty under s 53. Two change hooks sit in front of the work: a 28-day notice before adopting a changed design safety standard, and an interoperability management plan for a change on the National Network for Interoperability.
The rows the law sets
Each row is one duty the Rail Safety National Law places on the operator, with the section that states it. "None set" means the law sets no number: the duty is standing, or the clock is set by a direction or by the National Regulations, and the note under the table says which.
| Duty | Clause | Window | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notify the regulator at least 28 days before adopting a new or changed safety standard for the design of rail infrastructure | s 67(2), s 78; National Regulations reg 9(1) items 5 and 6 | 28 days | an offence |
| Prepare an interoperability management plan before changing operations on the National Network for Interoperability | National Regulations Sch 1 cl 20A | none set | an offence |
| Identify and assess interface risks with other rail transport operators and seek to enter an interface agreement | s 106 | none set | an offence |
| Identify and assess level crossing interface risks with the road manager and seek to enter an interface agreement | s 107(1)-(2) | none set | an offence |
| Maintain a register of interface agreements and regulator arrangements that apply to the railway operations | s 111(1)-(2) | none set | an offence |
| Register a private siding that is connected to, or has access to, an accredited railway or another private siding | s 83(1)-(2) | none set | an offence |
| Ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that rail infrastructure or rolling stock you design, supply or install is safe, tested and accompanied by adequate information | s 53(1) | none set | an offence |
What each row does not say
s 67(2), s 78; National Regulations reg 9(1) items 5 and 6The notice goes to ONRSR before the operator adopts a new, or changed, safety standard for the design of rail infrastructure. It is a notification, not an approval. Reg 9(2) excuses a notice where the matter is the subject of a variation application, and reg 9(1)(c) covers an emergency. Breaching a condition of accreditation is an offence under s 78, with a maximum penalty of $1,500,000 for a body corporate. Moving from AS 7711:2018 to AS 7711:2026 is the kind of change this row catches.
National Regulations Sch 1 cl 20AThe safety management system must include systems and procedures for identifying interoperability matters on the National Network for Interoperability, and an interoperability management plan where matters are identified. The amendment commenced on 1 November 2025 and compliance was required from 28 February 2026. Tourist and heritage operators are exempt (reg 16(2)). A new interlocking, a changed ETCS level or a changed train control system on the NNI is the kind of change this row catches. There is no standalone penalty; the duty is enforced through s 99 and s 101.
s 106The agreement must include the matters in s 105(1): the measures to manage the identified risks, how they are evaluated, tested and revised, each party's roles and responsibilities, how information is exchanged and compliance monitored, and a review process. Maximum penalty for a body corporate is $500,000. No register holds the interface agreement register itself.
s 107(1)-(2)The duty sits on both sides: the rail infrastructure manager and the road manager must each identify and assess the risks arising from the public road, the level crossing and the railway, determine the measures, and seek to enter an interface agreement. Private roads are covered by s 108. Maximum penalty for a body corporate is $500,000.
s 111(1)-(2)The rail transport operator keeps a register of the interface agreements to which it is a party and the regulator's arrangements under s 110; a road manager keeps the equivalent register for its roads. Maximum penalty for a body corporate is $25,000. No register holds the interface register itself.
s 83(1)-(2)The manager of the private siding must also comply with Division 6 Subdivision 2 so far as relevant to the siding's railway operations and seek an interface agreement with the accredited person or the other private siding manager (s 83(2)). Maximum penalty for a body corporate is $100,000.
s 53(1)A person who designs, commissions, manufactures, supplies, installs or erects a thing, and who knows or ought reasonably to know it is to be used in connection with rail infrastructure or rolling stock, must ensure it is safe for its intended purpose, carry out the necessary testing and examination, and provide adequate information about its use, the test results and the conditions for safe use (s 53(1)). This is the duty a signalling designer or supplier carries. It is a safety duty under Subdivision 2, so the Category 1 to 3 offence tiers in ss 58 to 60 apply.
Where the rows come from
The full instrument, every row and its caveat, is on the Rail Safety National Law page. The library holds the national law. The National Regulations and each state's adoption Act are cited in the rows where they set the detail, not held as separate instruments.
What this page is, and is not
It is the section text this library holds from the Rail Safety National Law, with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the Act, the National Regulations and the contract you signed.
No library of law is complete, and Demiton never says this one is. An obligation the library does not hold, and you did not add, is not protected. You can add your own to any job.
The Rail Safety National Law is drafted for the next library release and was read on 19 October 2026. The rest of the library is public release v19; until the next release, the rows on this page are the draft, not the published set.
Clauses read from the obligation library, release v19, last checked against the source on .