06 Feb 2025
AS 7522 Access and Egress – Review
The closing date for comments – Monday, April 7, 2025.
The review of AS 7522 Access and Egress is now open for Public Consultation.
How this product helps the rail industry
The update to this Standard aims to improve safety for passengers and train crew in the event of an accident by defining requirements for the emergency egress of persons and the external emergency access for emergency services personnel.
This review of AS 7522 is in response to the recommendations of the ATSB Report into the derailment of XPT passenger train ST23 at Wallen Victoria in 2020. This accident resulted in two fatalities (train crew in the XPT locomotive cab). Additionally, in the passenger carriages, eight passengers were seriously injured and 58 passengers and onboard crew sustained minor injuries.
The review has specifically analysed and updated requirements for the quantity, location and accessibility of emergency exits, especially in the event of a vehicle rollover.
About
AS 7522 describes the requirements to provide safe, efficient, equitable and dignified access and egress, and to minimise risks to passengers and workers associated with access and egress, emergency evacuations, and requirements for people with disabilities.
The standard is applicable to locomotives, freight, passenger, crew cars and infrastructure maintenance rolling stock. It was previously reviewed in 2021, however at that time the final ATSB report into the derailment of passenger train ST23 was unavailable.
How to contribute
AS 7522 Access and Egress will be available for public consultation for 60 days. All interested parties are encouraged to provide comments during this time.
The draft standard is available to download here.
To make comments on the draft, please use the commenting tools in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader to comment in-line with the text.
Please return your PDF with comments to bwooldridge@rissb.com.au by Monday 7 April 2025.
As the rail industry’s accredited Standards Development Organisation (SDO), RISSB continues to collaborate with government, rail operators and industry leaders to improve the efficiency and harmonisation of the Australia and New Zealand’s rail network, ensuring national interoperability, safety and sustainability into the future.