- Electronic Authorities now operating across more than 1,500 kilometres of ARTC's NSW Network
- Upgrade uses existing locomotive equipment, reducing cost and complexity for freight and passenger operators
- Supports safer, more efficient train movements and a more interoperable national rail network
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is making it safer, simpler and more efficient for trains to move across its network by replacing handwritten train movement authorities with digital instructions.
Electronic Authorities are now operating across more than 1,500 kilometres of rail lines from Broken Hill to Stockinbingal in regional New South Wales. For rail operators, the change means less routine radio communication and manual handling, reducing the risk of errors and giving drivers clearer information about where their train can safely travel.
Network Controllers who manage the safe movement of trains at ARTC's Junee and Broadmeadow control centres now issue train movement authorities digitally through the Train Management and Control System (TMACS), sending the information directly to existing equipment in locomotive cabs.
An Electronic Authority gives a train driver permission to travel along a particular section of track. It tells the driver how far the train can travel and any conditions that apply to that movement.
Previously, Network Controllers issued these instructions by radio, with train drivers writing down the information and reading it back for confirmation.
Electronic Authorities reduce the time Network Controllers and drivers spend on routine radio conversations and manual processes, allowing drivers to focus on operating their train.
Importantly, ARTC is using existing equipment already installed in locomotive cabs, avoiding the additional cost and complexity of fitting another system to operators' fleets.
Freight and passenger services now use the technology across regional NSW, including grain movements to Newcastle and Port Kembla, intermodal and mineral sands freight, as well as passenger services including the Indian Pacific and Broken Hill Explorer.
The system warns drivers as they approach the end of the section of track, they are authorised to travel on and sounds an alarm if they go beyond that point, providing an additional safety control.
Freight trains can travel thousands of kilometres across different rail networks, which can use different systems and operating processes. Electronic Authorities support greater interoperability by making it easier for trains and operators to work across those different networks.
ARTC already uses TMACS to manage train movements across more than 1,500 kilometres of track in New South Wales and is continuing to expand the technology across its network.
ARTC plans to roll out TMACS across the 1,276-kilometre Tarcoola to Kalgoorlie section of the East-West corridor by 2027 and is also progressing Electronic Authorities on the Benalla-Oaklands line between Victoria and New South Wales.
ARTC is strengthening the National Land Transport Network by staging and targeting investment in infrastructure and digital systems to improve safety, productivity and reliability while supporting greater interoperability.
The work aligns with the Australian Government's National Rail Action Plan and its focus on improving interoperability across Australia's rail networks.
Geoff Wickens, Acting Group Executive Safety and Systems, ARTC said:
"Electronic Authorities are a practical example of how we can make rail safer, simpler and more efficient for our customers.
"We've replaced a manual process with clearer digital information and, importantly, used equipment already installed in locomotive cabs rather than asking operators to install another system.
"Freight trains travel thousands of kilometres across different networks and operating environments. Every time we can remove unnecessary complexity and make those systems work better together, we make it easier to move by rail."
Colin Hughes, Chief Technology and Transformation Officer, Pacific National said:
"Rail freight works best when systems are simple, consistent and easy for operators to use. TMACS delivers exactly that by digitising train authorities and making information available directly to drivers in real time."
"The result is a safer operating environment for our people and greater operational efficiency for our business, helping us move freight more reliably across regional and interstate networks."
