Are train tracks called rails?
Jan 22, 2026
A steel rail also serves as the geometric reference for the entire rail system, defining vehicle trajectory, curve performance, and operational smoothness. Rail head profile accuracy and straightness tolerances are essential to minimize vibration, wheel wear, and derailment risks. This is especially critical in long-distance continuous welded rail applications and precision industrial transport lines.
To support such requirements, GNEE RAIL offers straightening control, fixed-length and random-length supply options, end machining, drilling, and pre-assembly services, allowing customers to receive rails ready for direct installation.
Are train tracks called rails?
Yes, the long, parallel steel bars that trains run on are called rails, and the entire structure is called a railway track, or simply track, consisting of the rails, sleepers (or ties), and ballast. So, while "train track" refers to the whole assembly, "rails" specifically names the steel beams themselves.
- Rails: The main steel bars that the wheels roll on.
- Sleepers/Ties: The cross-pieces (wood or concrete) that hold the rails at the correct distance (gauge) and transfer weight to the ground.
- Track/Railway: The complete system including rails, sleepers, and the underlying ballast (crushed stone).
What is the role of rail in the railway system?
The role of rails in a railway system is to provide a smooth, continuous, low-friction surface for steel wheels to roll on, acting as a guide and a load-bearing path, transmitting weight to sleepers and ballast, and enabling efficient, safe movement of trains by managing forces for propulsion, braking, and direction. Essentially, rails form the essential wheel-rail interface, crucial for all railway operations.
Key Functions of Rails:
- Guidance & Surface: They offer a precise, level, and continuous pathway, ensuring wheels stay on track and guiding the train.
- Friction Reduction: The steel-on-steel contact creates very low friction, allowing trains to move with less energy compared to road vehicles.
- Load Transmission: Rails transfer the immense weight of the train from the wheels down to the sleepers (ties) and then to the ballast (crushed stone) and subgrade.
- Force Management: They manage forces for acceleration, braking, and steering, absorbing shocks and vibrations.
- Direction & Control: Rails, especially at switches and crossings, dictate the direction a train travels, forming part of the network infrastructure.
Types of Train Steel Rail
By Weight per Meter/Length (Most Common Classification)
This is the primary way rails are specified, as weight directly correlates with strength and the load they can carry.
- Light Rails: Typically ≤ 30 kg/m (60 lb/yd). Used for light-duty tracks, mining, industrial sidings, and temporary tracks.
- Medium Rails: Range from 30 kg/m to 45 kg/m (e.g., 90 lb/yd to 115 lb/yd). Used for secondary railway lines, branch lines, and some transit systems.
- Heavy Rails: ≥ 50 kg/m (≥ 100 lb/yd). The standard for mainline freight and high-speed passenger railways.
Common Heavy Rail Standards:
- Chinese Standard: 50 kg/m, 60 kg/m, 75 kg/m (for ultra-heavy haul).
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Light Rail | 8 KG/M | 65 | 25 | 54 | 7 | 8.42 |
| 9 KG/M | 63.5 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 5.9 | 8.94 | |
| 12 KG/M | 69.85 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.2 | |
| 15 KG/M | 79.37 | 42.86 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | |
| 18 KG/M | 80 | 40 | 80 | 10 | 18.06 | |
| 22 KG/M | 93.66 | 50.8 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | |
| 24 KG/M | 107 | 51 | 90 | 10.9 | 24.46 | |
| 30 KG/M | 107.95 | 60.33 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | |
| Heavy Rail | 38 KG/M | 134 | 68 | 114 | 13 | 38.733 |
| 43 KG/M | 140 | 70 | 114 | 14.5 | 44.653 | |
| 45 KG/M | 145 | 67 | 126 | 14.5 | 45.546 | |
| 50 KG/M | 152 | 70 | 132 | 15.5 | 51.514 | |
| 60 KG/M | 176 | 73 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.64 | |
| Crane Rail | QU 70 | 120 | 70 | 120 | 28 | 52.8 |
| QU 80 | 130 | 80 | 130 | 32 | 63.69 | |
| QU 100 | 150 | 100 | 150 | 38 | 88.96 | |
| QU 120 | 170 | 120 | 170 | 44 | 118.1 | |
- US Standard: 115 lb/yd (≈57 kg/m), 136 lb/yd (≈67 kg/m - the current ARRA standard for Class 1 railroads), 141 lb/yd (≈70 kg/m).
| ASTM standard, AREMA standard | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Foot | Thickness | |||
| ASCE 25 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.4 | 6-12 |
| ASCE 30 | 42.86 | 79.38 | 79.38 | 8.33 | 14.88 | |
| ASCE 40 | 47.62 | 88.9 | 88.9 | 9.92 | 19.84 | |
| ASCE 60 | 60.32 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 29.76 | |
| ASCE 75 | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 12-25 |
| ASCE 85 | 65.09 | 131.76 | 131.76 | 14.29 | 42.17 | |
| ASCE 90 | 69.09 | 130.18 | 142.88 | 14.29 | 44.65 | |
| ASCE 115 | 69.06 | 139.7 | 168.28 | 15.88 | 56.9 | |
| ASCE 136 | 74.61 | 152.4 | 185.74 | 17.46 | 67.41 | |
| ASCE 175 | 109.86 | 152.4 | 152.4 | 38.1 | 86.8 | |
- European Standard (UIC): UIC 60 (60 kg/m - the most common worldwide for high-speed), UIC 54.
| Standard: UIC860 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| UIC50 | 70 | 152 | 125 | 15 | 50.46 | 12-25 |
| UIC54 | 70 | 159 | 140 | 16 | 54.43 | |
| UIC60 | 74.3 | 172 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.21 | |
As a professional rail fastener supplier, GNEE RAIL can provide different standard steel rail such as GB,American, BS, UIC, DIN, JIS, Australian and South Africa which used in railway lines, cranes and coal mining.
