Steel Authority of India Limited‘s Bhilai Steel Plant has successfully rolled Vanadium alloyed special grade Rails, R 260 grade, for the Indian Railways and the first rake was flagged off on 30th June, 2020 by Shri Anirban Dasgupta, Director (P&BP) with additional charge of CEO of BSP. The R 260 grade of Rails is targeted to meet the requirements of Indian Railways for higher speed and higher axle load. Indian Railways is moving towards higher speed and axle load rails for which it required SAIL to produce R 260 grade and SAIL has started successfully producing the same. The high strength of more than 550 MPa will enable Indian Railways to withstand more rigorous Rail traffic and also achieve better life. The Rails shall be supplied in the form of 260 meter long welded panels.
The new grade of rails rolled by SAIL-BSP is based on R 260 grade specifications issued by Indian Railways Research & Development wing. R 260 grade specification issued by RDSO is more stringent than the European specifications on many parameters, including the hydrogen content of 1.6 ppm max in steel as compared to 2.5 ppm max specified in the European specification. SAIL/BSP has started producing the R 260 rails from its new and modern Universal Rail Mill.
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