LTSA rail newsletter

Issue Three, April 2004

Greetings to all rail operators from the Rail Safety Section of the Land Transport Safety Authority (LTSA). This is the third edition of the LTSA Rail Newsletter, and the first for 2004. The LTSA extends a warm welcome to those operators who have recently joined the New Zealand railway industry. We look forward to working with you to provide a safe working industry.

In this issue:

1 Railways Bill update – what it means for you
2 LTSA rail review updates
3 Heritage rolling stock movements
4 Level Crossing Working Group
5 Possible Land Transport Amendments, NZQA Unit Standards
6 Australian regulator relations
7 Trolley circular update

1.Railways Bill update – what it means for you

Since the last newsletter the Parliamentary Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee has received written submissions and heard oral submissions from a range of operators and other interest groups. As a result the LTSA and Ministry of Transport (MOT) held a consultation meeting with some rail operator representatives to clarify aspects of the Bill. The Select Committee will consider the Departmental Report from the Ministry of Transport and report back to Parliament in the near future. We expect the Railways Bill to be enacted and implemented towards the end of this year.

Operators may be wondering ‘how will this new legislation affect me?’ Until the Bill is finalised we can’t really comment. We will, however, be making regional visits to discuss the new legislation once its final form has been confirmed.

These presentations will give you a greater understanding of the Railways Act, how it will affect you, and give you the opportunity to ask questions in preparation for the Act’s implementation. We’ll contact you soon with more detail of these visits.

For the majority of operators we expect that there will be little or no effect on your day to day activities, assuming you are operating safely (which of course you are!). Operators with complex or numerous interoperability aspects to their operation will need to address the requirements of the new legislation more carefully.

A couple of key changes to the current regime, which the government has asked for, are described briefly. One will be the requirement to have a safety case outlining how you manage your quality control and business processes. The current audit process will be replaced by a safety assessment programme, based in part on your operator safety record and key performance indicators, to ensure you are in compliance with your safety case and safety system.

2. LTSA rail review updates

The LTSA has undertaken an investigation into Rail Interoperability Occurrences. This followed a number of incidents last year where it was not immediately clear which party was responsible for various actions being taken.

Operators involved in this review have had the opportunity to respond to recommendations made in the report. The LTSA will now be working with those operators to ensure the recommendations are implemented.

The key message to all operators is that interoperability agreements with other parties need to clearly set out and identify which party is responsible for any given aspect of an activity or operation, and operators must comply with the agreements.

The draft report of the Review of the South Island Rail Coal Route has been provided to a number of involved parties under a confidentiality agreement for comment on the factual content of the report only. The report will then be finalised and released publicly. Parties to the report will have the opportunity to respond formally to the recommendations.

3. Heritage rolling stock movements

The LTSA is aware that many heritage operators, by the nature of their activities, often share equipment. While a locomotive or other rail service vehicle (RSV) may be owned by one group it is not uncommon for it to be used by another heritage operator. Regardless of where an RSV is being used and who owns it, all operators should remember that all RSVs and the operations surrounding them are required to be covered by an LTSA approved safety system at all times.

If a RSV is transferred to another heritage operator you must advise the LTSA by seeking a variation to your safety system, to cover the RSV and the operation surrounding it (this may also include the task of transferring equipment from one site to another).

4 Level Crossing Working Group

Late last year the LTSA initiated the Level Crossing Working Group (LCWG). This group builds on the earlier work of the Level Crossing Forum, which started a couple of years ago. The LCWG represents key organisations in the rail-road interface, and is charged with developing plans and increasing awareness to reduce the occurrence of level crossing crashes. The minutes from these meetings are distributed to a wider stakeholder group with an interest in level crossing matters and who may get involved in the implementation of tasks developed through the LCWG.

The LCWG meets approximately bi-monthly, with the next meeting scheduled for 13 May 2004.

5 Possible Land Transport Amendments, NZQA Unit Standards

Traction engines and steam driven vehicles

As part of a wider land transport initiative, consideration is being given to traction engines and their regulation. The focus is on who can operate traction engines, the qualifications they need, and the requirement for a periodic inspection of the boiler etc.

Concurrently the NZ Road Transport & Logistics Industry Training Organisation has, with input from the LTSA and OSH, been updating the NZQA Unit Standards for Steam Driven Vehicles.

We will keep you informed of developments in these areas.

6. Australian regulator relations

The Rail Safety Section has begun more information sharing with the state rail regulators throughout Australia. This communication covers a wide range of topics, including: Australia/New Zealand Standards review; incident and accident database development and investigation findings; regulatory methods including a co-regulatory approach; and documentation of processes.

This interaction allows us to share knowledge from a variety of sources, in order to more effectively carry out our regulatory role in a pro-active manner that benefits the whole industry.

7. Trolley circular update

Earlier this year a heritage operator had an unfortunate incident involving a motor trolley derailment whilst carrying passengers. The LTSA wrote to all motor trolley operators following that incident seeking confirmation of their operating procedures.

Generally we have been impressed with the responses we have received, and will work with operators to ensure the appropriate safety features are incorporated for motor trolley use at all times.

The responses show that motor trolley operators are safety conscious and working to improve unsuitable systems in the interests of rail safety.

All editions of the newsletter are available on the LTSA website: www.ltsa.govt.nz/rail/newsletter/. You are encouraged to also view other rail-related information on the LTSA website.

Editor:
Rob Gould
Policy Analyst

Page created: 30 April 2004