What ultimately happens to railway rails that have been taken out of service?

With the development of China's economy, all sectors have experienced significant influences, and the central role of railways in transportation is indisputable. Observing railway development in several countries shows that the construction and operation of railways have spurred the growth of various industries, boosted economic prosperity, and gradually become a driving force for economic advancement.

China’s operational high-speed rail network now exceeds 40,000 kilometers, with many routes belonging to the high-speed rail category. However, building a railway is not the end of the story; once it is in use, wear and tear are inevitable. When such wear reaches a certain level, the tracks become unfit for further use, necessitating regular maintenance.

Rail tracks are required to maintain a flatness tolerance of 1 millimeter; if wear reaches 2 millimeters, the tracks must be replaced, as this is considered significant damage. When the rails are worn beyond acceptable limits, they need to be removed and replaced.

So, how are these removed rails handled? Can’t they simply be melted down and reused?

In reality, most of these dismantled rails are not melted down for recasting. Recasting them into rails that meet reuse standards requires advanced technology. Both the wheels and tracks of Chinese trains are manufactured using specialized processes, which means that standard casting techniques cannot ensure the necessary quality for wheels and rails. This creates technical and procedural limitations. Moreover, rail steel must be harder and more wear-resistant than ordinary steel because rails not only bear the train’s weight but also suffer considerable abrasion during operation. Therefore, the main reason removed rails cannot simply be recast is the lack of suitable technology.

So, what happens to these rails? There are two main approaches for handling them.

The first approach is temporary storage, allowing these rails to serve as emergency spare parts when needed during future repairs.

The second approach is to repurpose them as materials for manufacturing specialized equipment.

Because the steel quality of these rails is excellent, they can be used to produce equipment that requires high-grade materials for rail maintenance and other specialized applications.

Source: Internet