Rail Industry Worker

By law, everyone working within a rail reserve must be able to provide proof of competency. As a member of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), John Holland has been working with the industry to develop a competency management solution for employees and contractors. The Rail Industry Worker (RIW) program provides a single nationally recognised competency management system for rail workers and is owned and endorsed by the ARA.

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All contractors performing rail safety work on rail industry work sites across Australia hold a current Rail Industry Worker Card. In addition, they are expected to fulfil a minimum of one role with the associated competencies. These specific roles and competencies are outlined in the ARA National Matrices, available here.

John Holland Business Rules and Competency Matrices

Rail Industry Worker Program

The RIW Program supports the rail industry by giving participant organisations full visibility of workers moving between projects and employers, maintaining a single electronic record about each worker’s health, education and competencies. This ensures that work is carried out by qualified people and enhances overall safety on rail networks across Australia.

For more information, please visit the Rail Industry Worker website at https://www.riw.net.au/. You can also sign up to Rail Industry Worker News for the latest updates about the program.

RIW 24/7 Support

The RIW website contains self-help quick guides and video walkthroughs, as well as a comprehensive FAQ section covering many topics. Meanwhile, the RIW Service Desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 1300 101 682 or emailing info@riw.net.au.   

Download the RIW app

The RIW app is used by Access Controllers and Spot Checkers to scan cards in the field.

  • RIW (Apple) in App Store here.
  • RIW (QR) in Google Play here.
  • RIW (NFC) in Google Play here.

Virtual RIW cards

The RIW system allows workers to hold both a physical and virtual card. The virtual card is maintained in a virtual wallet app called Vircarda, which is stored on the cardholder’s smart device. The virtual card can be swiped in the same way as the physical card.

Virtual cards can be issued by participating employers. Once the card PIN has been sent to the cardholder via email or SMS, the Vircarda App can be downloaded and the virtual card can be installed on the cardholder’s smart device. 

  • Vircarda Apple App here.
  • Vircarda Android App here.

RIW National Matrices

Network Operators Matrices - Rail Industry Worker (riw.net.au)

Basic Network Requirements