mixed traffic

Railway mixed traffic: the decathlon arena for rails

Shorter train intervals, higher speeds, greater axle loads, shorter maintenance times, escalating demands on availability - all that requires of the rails all they can muster: They have to possess the paramount capabilities of a world-class decathlete who has to deliver top perfomances in all disciplines. In addition to the escalating demands on the performance in the tracks, the macro-economic conditions are also ratcheting up.

These diverse challenges can be mastered only by applying RAMS and lifecycle strategies consistently. Progressive infrastructure managers cannot imagine modern rail systems anymore without fine pearlitic, head-hardened rail steels; nonetheless, their application is still only beginning. voestalpine Schienen is consistently basing its decisions concerning further market development on the essential demands its customers make on gaining benefits in the area of instrastructure:

• maximum track availability
• maximum wear resistance
• maximum resistance against damages due to rolling contact fatigue
• lowest maintenance expenditures (in terms of time as well as financially)
• maximum life span

For high- stressed mixes traffic networks (all main tracks as a rule, especially for all curves), we are generally recommending the deployment of the heat-treated rail steel grade R350HT; for special applications (like narrow curves), the heat-treated and light-alloyed rail steels R350LHT or 370LHT.