What is the definition of heavy rail?
Heavy steel rail is a robust track component, typically weighing over 30-43 kg per meter (like 50kg, 60kg, 75kg/m models), designed to support the immense weight and high speeds of trains on main lines, high-speed railways, and urban transit systems, offering greater strength and stability than lighter rails. Its definition hinges on its significant weight, larger dimensions, and superior load-bearing capacity, making it crucial for heavy-haul and high-speed applications.
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| 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 | |
Heavy steel Rail vs. Light steel Rail
Heavy steel rail is for high-capacity, high-speed freight and passenger trains, featuring thick profiles (e.g., >50 kg/m) for immense loads, while light steel rail is for trams and industrial uses, with smaller cross-sections (e.g., <30 kg/m) for lower demands, often embedded in city streets, prioritizing urban integration over extreme strength. The key difference lies in weight, strength, application (heavy-haul vs. urban transit), and infrastructure requirements, with heavy rail needing robust ballast and support for greater forces.
| 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 | |
Steel Rail Role in Railtrack System
Steel rail is the most important part in rail track system, it is a steel profile with shape of inverted T. Variety of steel rails are developed with different weight and dimensions. All types of Steel Rail has hardend head and flat bottom. This special shape is designed with a group of rail fastening parts that fix steel rail on rail sleepers: Rail Spike, Screw Spike, Elastic Rail Clip, Rail Clamp, etc.
Steel Rail Sections looks like similar to steel profiles used for steel structure in buildings, their main functions in rail track are as follows:
- Rails provide a continuous and level surface for the movement of trains.
- Rails provide a pathway which is smooth and has very little friction. The friction between the steel wheel and the steel rail is about one-fifth of the friction between the pneumatic tyre and a metalled road.
- Rails serve as a lateral guide for the wheels.
- Rails bear the stresses developed due to vertical loads transmitted to them through axles and wheels of rolling stock as well as due to braking and thermal forces.
- Rails carry out the function of transmitting the load to a large area of the formation through sleepers and the ballast.
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.