Accreditation Fees
What are annual accreditation fees?
Section 46 of the Rail Safety Act 2008 requires accredited persons to pay the annual accreditation fee prescribed by the Rail Safety (General) Regulation 2008.
How are annual accreditation fees calculated?
There is a uniform national methodology for calculating accreditation fees to be paid by rail transport operators.
For NSW, the rates and methodology are set out in Schedule 2 of the Rail Safety (General) Regulation 2008.
- For rail transport operators other than heritage operators: the fee is calculated on the basis of the number of kilometres of track they manage in NSW and/or the number of kilometres their trains travel in NSW. A minimum fee of $10,000 applies.
The fee amount is based on an estimate of the year’s track and train kilometres. It is adjusted at the end of the year based on actual kilometres. - For heritage operators: if the actual track under the control of the operator or its actual passenger kilometres are less than 10,000 kilometres, the annual accreditation fee is $100. In any other case the accreditation fee for heritage operators is $500.
When are annual accreditation fees due?
Accreditation fees are due for payment on or before 30 September each year unless otherwise approved by ITSRR in writing. ITSRR will issue an invoice to accredited operators approximately one month before the payment date.
What if I disagree with the fee amount on my invoice?
If you believe ITSRR has made an error in calculating your annual accreditation fee, please contact ITSRR.
What if I can't pay the annual accreditation fee, or I can't pay it on time?
If you are experiencing a delay or difficulty in paying your annual accreditation fee it is important that you contact ITSRR.
The Rail Safety Act 2008 allows ITSRR to grant additional time to pay or agree to alternative payment arrangements.
What happens if I'm late in paying the annual accreditation fee?
If you do not pay the fees on time, and have not made alternative payment arrangements with ITSRR, you may be liable for a late payment fee of 15% of the outstanding amount.
What happens if I don't pay the accreditation fees?
If you do not pay the accreditation fee ITSRR may take legal action to recover the debt that is owing.
What happens if I don't provide track and train kilometre data to ITSRR?
ITSRR uses the monthly normalisation data provided by all accredited operators to calculate annual accreditation fees. This information is required by the Rail Safety (General) Regulation 2008.
Failure to provide ITSRR with information required for calculating accreditation fees may result in enforcement action.