What are the three types of railway tracks? - Knowledge

A steel rail is a precision-rolled steel beam that must maintain consistent geometry over long distances to avoid impact loading, vibration amplification, and uneven wheel wear. Any deviation in straightness or surface flatness can significantly affect system performance and safety. GNEE RAIL supports projects with strict geometric tolerances by offering rail straightening control, precision cutting, profile verification, and staged delivery services, while supplying rails compliant with all global standards and custom industrial drawings.

What are the three types of railway tracks?

The three primary types of railway tracks are generally classified based on construction method, structural design, and application: ballasted track, slab track, and crane/industrial track. Each type serves specific operational and environmental requirements, and they differ in materials, installation techniques, and load-handling characteristics.

1. Ballasted Track:

This is the most traditional and widely used railway track type worldwide. Ballasted tracks consist of steel rails, sleepers (ties), fastenings, and a ballast layer, usually made of crushed stone, which distributes loads, provides drainage, and maintains track geometry. Ballasted track is highly flexible, relatively easy to maintain, and suitable for conventional passenger, freight, and mining railways. Rails for ballasted tracks include light rails (8–30 kg/m) for low-traffic lines and heavy rails (38–60 kg/m) for mainline operations, compliant with standards such as UIC50/54/60, EN, BS, AS, JIS, and AREMA/ASCE.

steel rail

GB Standard Steel Rail

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

Australian 1085 Standard Steel Rail

Standard: AS 1085
Size	Dimension(mm)				Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
Size	Head	Height	Bottom	Thickness	Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
31KG	63.5	117.5	108	11.5	31.5	8-25
47KG	70	141.3	127	14.3	46.5
50KG	70	154	127	15	50.8
60KG	70	170	146	16.5	61
68KG	73.4	186	152	17.5	67.6
73KG	70	157	146	32	73.63
86KG	102	102	165	84.11	85.5
89KG	102	114	178	51	89.81

UIC 860 Standard Steel Rail

Standard: UIC860
Size	Dimension(mm)				Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
Size	Head	Height	Bottom	Thickness	Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
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

American Standard Steel Rail

ASTM standard, AREMA standard
Size	Dimension(mm)				Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
Size	Head	Height	Foot	Thickness	Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
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

2. Slab Track (Ballastless Track):

Slab track replaces the ballast layer with a concrete slab or reinforced trackbed, to which the rails are fastened using elastic pads and clips. This system offers greater stability, lower maintenance, and reduced track settlement, making it ideal for high-speed lines, tunnels, and urban metro systems. Rails in slab tracks can be standard railway rails or specialized profiles, often in steel grades like R350HT or U71Mn, engineered for higher rigidity and fatigue resistance due to the reduced elasticity of the concrete base.

heavy rail

Grade	Standard / Region	Typical Composition (wt%)
R260	EN 13674-1 (Europe)	C: 0.67–0.80, Mn: 0.90–1.20, Si: ≤0.50
R350HT	EN 13674-1 (Europe)	C: 0.75–0.85, Mn: 0.80–1.20, Cr: 0.20–0.50
Grade 260	AREMA (North America)	C: ~0.77, Mn: ~1.0–1.2, Si: ~0.2
Grade 350	AREMA + Mill Specs (USA/Canada)	C: 0.78–0.83, Mn: 0.90–1.20, Cr: 0.2–0.6, + V/Nb (microalloyed)
BH Rail (Bainitic)	JIS E 1101 (Japan), adopted in EU/India	C: 0.65–0.80, Mn: 1.0–1.4, Cr/Mo/Ni (optional, mill-specific)
U71Mn	GB/T 2585 (China)	C: 0.65–0.77, Mn: 1.10–1.40, Si: 0.15–0.35

3. Crane or Industrial Tracks:

These tracks are designed specifically for overhead cranes, gantry cranes, and industrial handling systems, where vertical loads and lateral forces are much higher than conventional trains. They typically consist of DIN 536 A-series rails (A55–A120) or QU crane rails (QU70–QU120) mounted on concrete or steel runway beams with baseplates and clips. Industrial tracks are engineered for high durability under concentrated wheel loads, frequent stops, and directional changes, and they often use high-strength pearlitic steels like U71Mn or U75V for long-term wear resistance.

port crane

Standard：DIN 536
Size	Dimension(mm)				Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
Size	Head	Height	Bottom	Thickness	Weight (kg/m)	Length(m)
A55	55	65	150	31	31.8	10-12
A55	65	75	175	38	43.1
A75	75	85	200	45	56.2
A100	100	95	200	60	74.3
A120	120	105	200	72	100

Since 2008, GNEE RAIL has been supplying steel rails of different grades for more than 18 years, steel rails from GNEE is highly recommened in China and abroad.Wtih cutting edge equipment, GNEE produces high quality steel rails that meet with requirements of most countries. Standard rail, head hardened rail, heavy rail,light rail,crane rail and other types are all available here, as one of the China main rail supplier, GNEE RAIL has been working on supplying economical green railway products all over the world.

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