What is a track rail?
Jan 15, 2026
What is a track rail?
A track rail is the long steel profile fixed on sleepers (ties) that forms the running surface for train wheels, guiding vehicles along a predefined path while transferring wheel loads to the track structure and subgrade. Unlike general structural steel, a track rail is a precision-engineered, wear-resistant steel product designed to withstand repeated high axle loads, impact forces, and rolling contact fatigue.
In a complete railway track system, the track rail works together with rail fasteners, rail pads, base plates, sleepers, ballast or slab, and joints or welds to maintain gauge, alignment, and ride stability.
How Is a Track Rail Installed and Fixed to the Track?
Track rails are not installed alone; they are part of a fastening system that ensures gauge stability, vibration damping, and thermal expansion control. Typical components include:
- Elastic rail clips or bolt fastenings
- Rail pads for vibration and electrical insulation
- Base plates or sole plates for load distribution
- Fishplates or aluminothermic welds for rail joints
Modern railways increasingly use continuous welded rail (CWR) to eliminate joint impacts and improve ride comfort. For crane tracks and industrial systems, bolted joints and adjustable fastening assemblies are still widely used to allow alignment correction.
What Are the Main Types of Track Rails Used in Railways?
Track rails are commonly classified by weight per meter, profile geometry, and application scenario, rather than by a single global standard. Typical categories include light rail, heavy rail, crane rail, and grooved rail.
| Rail Type | Typical Weight Range | Main Applications | Common Standards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light rail | 8–30 kg/m | Trams, mines, factories, temporary tracks | GB 11264, JIS 15–30kg, ASCE |
| Heavy rail | 38–75+ kg/m | Mainline railways, metro, heavy haul | EN 13674 (60E1), UIC 60, AREMA 136RE, GB 60kg |
| Crane rail | 50–120 kg/m (wide base) | Port cranes, steel mills, yards | DIN 536, YB/T 5055 (QU rails) |
| Grooved rail | ~50–60 kg/m | Street tramways embedded in roads | EN grooved rail series |
For example, UIC 60 (60.21 kg/m) and EN 60E1 rails dominate modern passenger and freight main lines, while GB 22kg or JIS 22kg light rails are typical for industrial and light transit tracks. GNEE RAIL supplies these profiles under multiple standards and can match rail sections with compatible fastening systems and pads to ensure structural integrity and vibration control.
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.
| Standard | Sepc. | Material Typical Grade |
| UIC860 | UIC54 | 700,900A,900B |
| UIC60 | ||
| EN13674.1 | 5.00E+02 | R200,R350HT,R260Mn,R35LHT,R320Cr,R370CrHT |
| 5.40E+02 | ||
| 6.00E+02 | ||
| 6.00E+03 | ||
| BS-11-1985 | BS80A | 700,900A,900B |
| BS90A | ||
| BS100A | ||
| AREMA | 115RE | SS,HH,LA,IH |
| 136RE | ||
| ASCE60 | U71Mn | |
| ASCE85 | U71Mn | |
| GB 2585-2007 | 50kg/m | U71Mn |
| 60kg/m | U75V | |
| 75kg/m | ||
| TB/T2344-2012 | 50kg/m | U71Mn,U75V,U77MnCr |
| 60kg/m | U78CrV | |
| 75kg/m | ||
| GB 11264-1989 | 8kg/m | Q235 |
| 12kg/m | Q235 | |
| 15kg/m | 55Q, Q235 | |
| 18kg/m | 55Q, Q235 | |
| 22kg/m | 55Q, Q235 | |
| 24kg/m | 55Q, Q235 | |
| 30kg/m | 55Q, Q235 | |
| 38kg/m | 50Mn, U71Mn | |
| 43kg/m | 50Mn, U71Mn | |
| GB Crane rails | QU70 | U71Mn |
| QU80 | U71Mn | |
| QU100 | U71Mn | |
| QU120 | U71Mn |
