Government-owned national transporter Indian Railways (IR) is planning to experiment the use of galvanized steel rails in coastal and high humidity regions aiming to reduce corrosion and increasing the lifespan of tracks from three years to 12 years, a government official said on Monday, January 12.
The official said that, while galvanized steel rails is about 10 percent more expensive than normal steel rails, costing around INR 84,000/mt ($931/mt) compared to INR 76,000/mt ($842/mt) for regular steel rails, lifecycle costs of galvanized rails would be lower owing to its longer lifespan.
IR plans to procure 100,000 mt of galvanized steel rails in phases and the government’s Railway Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) has already approved standards for zinc thermal sprayed grade steel rails.
IR has conducted a small pilot study on rust-free rails and galvanized rails could be used for new lines, track doubling and gauge conversion projects.
Currently, IR uses nickel chromium copper grade steel rails developed by Steel Authority of India Limited’s Bhilai steel mill and these high-performance rails are being used for the modernization of tracks for its high-speed heavy haul train corridors.
