09 Apr 2025

The importance of signalling systems – AS 7716 Signalling Testing Process and AS 7717 Signal Testing and Commissioning

The rail industry provides the safest means of transporting people and goods around the country. Signalling systems are critical to ensuring this safety, maintaining separation between rail traffic, and rail traffic and track workers is kept.

These systems also include associated sub-systems such as level crossing systems – a high-risk interface for all rail networks. Failure to safely commission and maintain these systems can result in serious incidents and fatalities.

Recently the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) released a safety message, highlighting the risks around failure to safely commission and maintain signalling systems. This safety message recognised several incidents where signaling systems failed to operate correctly, placing rail safety workers and the general public at high risk of collision with a train.

This risk was also identified in recent Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation reports from incidents in Adelaide (RO-2020-021 Ovingham, South Australia) and Werribee (RO-202-020 Werribee, Victoria).

RISSB has long identified the importance of signalling systems, with a large suite of Standards aimed at the design, construction, commissioning, and maintenance of these systems.

In particular, AS 7716 Signalling Testing Process and AS 7717 Signal Testing and Commissioning detail industry good practice in testing and commissioning of signalling systems.

These two valuable products will be reviewed in the coming months, looking at recent investigation findings and changes in technology, so that industry has the right information to safety test and commission signalling systems.

Keep an eye out for the Calls for Development Group and join the review of these safety critical documents and contribute to the updates to the standards.