Rail Products

A railway rail is a hot-rolled steel section in three parts: the head, which carries the wheel load; the web, the vertical member that joins head to foot; and the foot, which spreads the load into the sleepers or the slab. Rail is described by its profile and by its mass per metre — a 60 kg/m rail has a theoretical mass of about 60 kilograms for every metre of its length.

Profile families were developed region by region, which is why the same duty can be met by different sections around the world. North American networks work to AREMA profiles such as 115RE and 136RE. European networks work to EN 13674-1, where profiles are designated by mass per metre, such as 60E1. Chinese networks work to the TB series. A rail is therefore specified as a profile family plus a steel grade, not one without the other.

Most rail is now laid as continuously welded rail: long lengths are welded into a single string on site, which removes the joints that were once the main source of impact loading. That shifts the emphasis onto straightness, a consistent cross-section and the weldability of the steel — properties that matter as much as the profile number on the drawing.