TfNSW procures or constructs infrastructure assets for a client owner or operator. In the case of railway assets, TfNSW is accredited by the ITSR as a Rail Transport Operator and many of the activities managed by TfNSW are prescribed rail safety activities under the NSW Rail Safety Act and the Rail Safety National Law.
Under its ITSR accreditation, TfNSW is responsible for the safety attributes of design, construction, and commissioning activities for rail infrastructure projects. TfNSW is also responsible for the safety of rail operations on infrastructure it constructs or modifies, until that infrastructure is formally handed over to the client owner or operator.
AEOs engaged by TfNSW to undertake scopes of design, construction, and commissioning activities for rail infrastructure projects are also bound to legal compliance with the NSW Rail Safety Act and the Rail Safety National Law in all aspects of the services rendered and the products delivered.
Much of the design work for a client owner or operator involves the prudent application of established design principles, rules, and standards to meet the requirements of a specification for new or altered infrastructure.
14.1
Selection of appropriate standards
The selection and use of appropriate design standards is a key requirement in ensuring that a design will meet the requirements of its specification, comply with statutory regulations, and be fit for the intended purpose. Selection and application of the appropriate standard is an integral part of the design process. Similarly, any change to an approved standard represents a potential change to the configuration of the infrastructure. Any proposed deviation from an established standard must be approved via a standards waiver.
All standards used by a designer should be carefully selected, applied, and controlled to ensure that infrastructure is designed, constructed, and maintained to achieve appropriate levels of safety and integrity. Conversely, using a standard that substantially exceeds the requirements of the intended application may significantly increase the cost of both new works and ongoing maintenance.
14.2
Standards for permanent works
Design solutions for permanent works produced by TfNSW, and the AEO engaged by TfNSW, should reference current published standards, and be applied in a hierarchy of authority. The selection of appropriate standards will include, in order of precedence:
the following standards, which prevail over all other requirements, to the extent that they are applicable to the product or application:
Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
Disability Discrimination Act 1992
other relevant legislation
the ASA transport standards
Australian Standards, including standards for rail infrastructure and rolling stock developed by the Railway Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) and issued as Australian Standards (AS)
International Standards (such as ISO, IEC, etc)
If an appropriate published standard does not exist to cover a specific item, then an AEO should adopt industry-accepted best practice.
14.3
Application of rail engineering standards during construction
Infrastructure maintenance forms of rolling stock and plant owned or operated by TfNSW, or owned by TfNSW contractors or third party operators, are not permitted to travel or operate on TfNSW managed and controlled rail sites without the authority of the network controller or the network controller's nominated representative.
TfNSW engineering standards that are specifically applicable to the running of 'construction rolling stock' on 'track' will be applied for the construction phase. Typically this includes the minimum acceptance standards for construction rolling stock, including work trains, rail-mounted plant, and Hi-Rail road vehicles, based on RISSB standards AS 7508 Railway rolling stock -
Track forces and stresses Parts 1 to 4, AS 7509 Railway rolling stock - Dynamic behaviour
Parts 1 to 4, and TfNSW engineering standards specifying the requirements of the 'temporary way'.
AEO contractors or their subcontractors, with road or rail vehicles, are required to supply current certifications for their vehicles before acceptance onto TfNSW controlled infrastructure. TfNSW’s Engineering Branch maintains an active vehicle registration database of all vehicles authorised to operate on TfNSW infrastructure.
14.4
Maintenance standards during construction
Maintenance requirements may be different during pre-handover and post-handover phases due to different operating scenarios. As such, TfNSW and AEO contractors should ensure that appropriate maintenance regimes are established for the construction phase. Recommended maintenance procedures from original equipment manufacturers or the client owner or operator may be referenced.
TfNSW and AEO contractors are responsible for the safety of any rail-mounted vehicles that may use the rail infrastructure before the handover to the client owner or operator. TfNSW and AEO contractors should thus identify the appropriate safe working rules, operating speeds, load limits, and other applicable operating constraints. They should then monitor compliance in order to meet the responsibilities under the NSW Rail Safety Act 2008 and the Rail Safety National Law.
Appropriate procedures should be in place for safe maintenance and operation prior to handover to the owner or operator.
14.5
Changes in standards during design or construction
The ASA is responsible for advising all TfNSW project teams of any proposed changes in standards as they are issued.
The ASA shall advise AEOs as to any changes to transport standards that may affect ongoing (active) design and construction works, with relevant negotiations of changes to existing contract baseline.