
Following intensive development efforts, voestalpine Railway Systems now presents its new high-quality rails produced using 340 Dobain® HSH®: this innovative steel grade promises maximum safety, while at the same time significantly reducing maintenance requirements. With its innovative special rails, voestalpine Railway Systems is further strengthening its position as the leading technology supplier offering systems competence in railway infrastructure.
In an era of increasing transport capacities, the need for greater safety and customer satisfaction demands economic and social responsibility. voestalpine Railway Systems is responding to this demand with optimized and sustainable railway technology solutions. In addition to product highlights including
- ultra-long 120-meter rails;
- high-speed turnouts for speeds of up to 380 km/h; and
- heavy-duty turnouts for axle loads of up to 40 tons,
340 Dobain® HSH® brings another pioneering premium product to the Railway Systems portfolio.

No head checks
While deformation and rolling contact fatigue leads to head checks (= fine surface cracks) in conventional rails, 340 Dobain® HSH® reduces surface deformation to a minimum. This is due to its unique microstructure which differs fundamentally from that of conventional rail steel: by deliberately altering the microstructure, voestalpine scientists have succeeded in developing a steel grade with unprecedented properties.
Milestone in rail technology
The unique microstructure, the result of innovative steel design by process and materials experts, makes this rail steel exceptionally resistant.

The process and materials experts took their inspiration from nature. By applying the Lotus leaf effect, 340 Dobain® HSH® is the first rail steel grade with microstructure polishing for optimized life cycle costs.
"The benefits of 340 Dobain® HSH® include increased availability and lower life cycle costs. We are delighted to be able to present 340 Dobain® HSH® with its outstanding properties."
The new high-quality rail offers not only maximum safety levels, but also guarantees greater efficiency for rail network operators:
- by significantly reducing maintenance requirements
- by extending rail service life.
In practice, 340 Dobain® HSH® is the first head check-free steel grade for a wide spectrum of targeted applications.
340 Dobain® HSH®–the key benefits
- Head check-free rails
- Maximum safety
- Increased availability
- Optimized LCC (life cycle costs)
- Long rail service life
- Steel designed for ease of welding
- Significantly reduced maintenance costs
- Environmentally-friendly