Tata Steel Rail has developed a novel technique for the cost effective repair of discrete defects on the running surface of rail. The key strength of this novel technique lies in the replacement of those aspects of the conventional Manual Metal Arc (MMA) process that often result in variability in the quality of the repair with automatic and more controlled operations. The developed semi-automatic process employs open arc welding with flux cored arc wire and relies on a low preheat temperature to proactively control the metallurgical transformations within the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ). Given that an average cost per repair or short replacement rail can run into several thousands of euros and that the occurrence of wheel rail interface defects is likely to increase with the evident increase in levels of traffic on most railways, the importance of the new process is easy to understand.

After the West Coast, South Wales and Thames link projects with installations in Mill Hill and Backfriars, England, Corus Rail has just installed its first modular platform system in France, in the Paris suburb of Mitry Claye. With more than 50 modular platforms in operation across Europe, Corus has become a major player in the market. The main advantage of the Corus system is that its design allows the majority of the installation work (including foundation construction) to be done behind a safety fence and away from operating railway. This means that the railway does not need to close during the majority of the work, resulting in obvious cost savings due to a lack of disruption to train service.

Like Valenciennes, Le Mans and Lyon, Reims has chosen the new 41 GPU grooved rail from Tata Steel. While installation has only just begun, its recent success highlights the advantages of this new Tata Steel Rail for tramways. It assures a perfect continuity of the running rail with the Vignole 50E6 rails (standard EN 13674-1). It thus assures the durability and the optimization of investment, reduced wear and improved comfort for passengers and residents.

Tata Steel Rail has just completed delivery, spread over five years, of 130 000 metal railway sleepers for the renovation of the Corsican railway. Made in Scunthorpe, England, the sleepers have the advantage of being fire resistant, are specially adapted for metric gauge tracks and most importantly, are easy to handle as they are two times lighter than wooden sleepers.

As an alternative to concrete structures, Tata Steel now offers a full range of steel modular platforms – a fast and inexpensive way to extend existing platforms, or create new ones, without any significant traffic interruption.