The NSW Level Crossing Strategy Council

Individual rail and road agencies are responsible for the management of safety of the various components of their railway level crossing infrastructure. Regulatory oversight is provided by the Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator (ITSRR) for rail operations and infrastructure and by the RTA and Police for roads.

The Level Crossing Strategy Council (LCSC) is an interagency forum which provides coordination between agencies and promotes railway level crossing safety. It comprises road, rail and regulatory bodies with responsibilities for the safety of railway level crossings in NSW, plus the Ministry of Transport and the NSW Local Government Association and Shires Association (LGA&SA).

The LCSC member agencies are:

• Australian Rail Track Corporation
• Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator
• Local Government Association and Shires Association of NSW
• Ministry of Transport
• NSW Police
• Rail Infrastructure Corporation
• RailCorp
• NSW Roads and Traffic Authority

The primary role of each agency is outlined below. Please click on the relevant link below if you have enquiries relating to any of the organisations listed.

	The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) manages and maintains the NSW country and interstate rail network under at 60-year lease from the State Government. ARTC also maintains the remaining country rail network under agreement to RIC.
	The Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator’s (ITSRR) role is to ensure public transport and commercial railway operations are safe for use by the communities and businesses of NSW.
	Local Government Association and Shires Association of NSW (LGA&SA) is the peak bodies representing the interests of NSW metropolitan, regional and rural councils to other areas of government and the wider community.
	Ministry of Transport’s (MoT) strategic objective is to provide independent, considered policy advice and financial and strategic co-ordination for the transport portfolio to improve passenger and freight transport service outcomes for the people of NSW.
	NSW Police aims to protect the community and property by, preventing, detecting and investigating crime, monitoring and promoting road safety, maintaining social order, performing and co-ordinating emergency and rescue operations. Other major services include traffic control, communications, intelligence analysis, anti-terrorist negotiation and security co-ordination.
	Rail Infrastructure Corporation (RIC) owns the NSW country rail network on behalf of the State Government.
	RailCorp owns and maintains the rail infrastructure in the greater metropolitan Sydney region and delivers CityRail and CountryLink passenger services. It was created in 2004 to provide safe, clean and more reliable rail transport.
	NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is responsible for promoting road safety and traffic management, driver licensing and vehicle registration. It is also responsible for maintaining and developing the national highway and state road network in NSW. It provides funding assistance to local councils for regional roads and to a limited extent, for local roads.

State and national forums for level crossing issues

State: the Level Crossing Strategy Council meets every second month. The Level Crossing Working Group develops and implements LCSC strategies and meets monthly.

National: the following forums are listed according to their reporting hierarchy.

Australian Transport Council (ATC)
Established in June 1993, ATC provides a forum for Commonwealth, State, Territory and New Zealand Ministers to consult with and provide advice to governments on the co-ordination and integration of all transport and road policy issues.

Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT)
SCOT is supported by a formal committee structure that provides advice on a range of policy and technical matters. The committee structure is reviewed by the Council on a regular basis.

Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT) Rail Group
One of the transport model groups established by the Standing Committee on Transport (SCOT) to advise on cross-jurisdictional transport issues in Australia.

Australian Railway Crossing Strategy Implementation Group (ARCSIG)
Manages the implementation of the national level crossing strategy via 20 projects (endorsed by ATC in May 2003).

Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model National Committee (National ALCAM Committee)
Develops, implements and continuously improves nationally consistent risk scoring, methodologies and tools for level crossings