Indian state-run steel producer Steel Authority of India Limited’s (SAIL) Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) has commenced production of vanadium steel rails for use in high speed train tracks, becoming the first domestic manufacturer to produce the product as per European standards, a company statement said on Tuesday, June 30.
The production of vanadium steel rails commenced at BSP’s Universal Steel Mill (USM) on Sunday with alloy of vanadium elements to double the life of railway tracks for use in high speed trains, the company said.
The company said that initially 300 pieces of R-260 grade vanadium rails will be produced by BSP at its USM and, following dispatch of these rails, the mill will only produce R-260 grade. Currently, the USM has produced 880-grade rail tracks but shifting the entire production to R-260 will enable the national transporter Indian Railways to extend the life of railway tracks from 10 years to 20 years in the case of high-speed trains.
