The Department of Treasury and Finance has released proposed amendments to the Railways (Access) Code 2000 for public consultation.
The Code provides a regulated pathway to obtain access to certain railways if private negotiations are unsuccessful. It sets limits on the prices that railway owners can charge other parties for using their railway and allows for an arbitrator to be appointed if parties cannot agree.
The proposed amendments are intended to ensure that interim access proposals can be progressed in the period before the Regulatory Asset Base (RAB) is approved by the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA), enabling access seekers to quickly extend an access agreement that is soon to expire, while negotiating a longer-term agreement.
A minor amendment has also been made to the definition for gross tonne kilometres in clause 1 of schedule 2 of the Code, which ensures railway owners provide the correct information.
Written submissions on the proposed amendments to the code are now closed.
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