Indian Railways to test galvanized rails for humid, coastal zones

The move is being examined as an alternative to the nickel copper chromium (NCC) rails being produced by state-owned steel maker Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL).

Galvanised rails increase the lifespan of tracks, especially in coastal areas and regions with high humidity and rainfall, by more than four times compared to the 2-3 years of regular steel rails. The lifespan of normal steel rails (in areas prone to less rusting) is about 12 years.

“The cost could vary anywhere between 8-20% depending on the kind of coating put on rails, but if it lasts more than normal rails, it should serve the purpose," said V. Shanker, former executive director-planning, Railways.

The development assumes importance given that the railways spend about ₹20,000 crore on track renewals every year. This spending could be cut substantially by using galvanised steel rails or thermal-sprayed zinc rails for tracks.

Moreover, such rails could also be used for new lines, track doubling and gauge conversion projects. Of its ₹2.65 trillion capex for FY26, the Indian Railways allocated ₹32,235 crore for new lines, ₹32,000 crore for track doubling and ₹4,550 crore for gauge conversion.

However, the cost of procuring galvanised steel would be 10% more than normal steel rails, which cost about ₹76,000 per tonne, against ₹84,000 per tonne for using galvanised steel rails, said the first person quoted above. The lifecycle cost of these rails would actually mean savings for railways, the person added.

Technical hurdles

The first person quoted above stated that the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) had already approved standards for zinc thermal-sprayed grade steel rails a few years ago, and the Railways may begin sourcing approximately 1 lakh tonnes of galvanised steel rails in phases.

The railway has already conducted a small pilot study on the use of rust-free rails on the Vijayawada-Guntur section.

Queries emailed to the railway ministry on Thursday remained unanswered till press time.

Experts welcome the railways' move to explore the use of galvanised steel rails, but caution that its use should be tested first to ensure it does not interfere with train operations.

“The only issue is that it may interrupt ultrasonic waves that are often used by railways to detect minor cracks or breakers on rails. But I’m sure, Railways will find a way to prevent this from happening and raise the use of galvanised steel," said Shanker.

“The top surface of the rail either won’t have galvanizing, or the protective layer will wear out in just a few days of train running," said Shubhranshu, former chief of Rail Wheel Plant, Bela. Earlier, he also headed the design and production team of the Vande Bharat Express.

Shubhranshu also warned that welding at sites would strip the zinc layer. He suggested that "special paints" used on oil rigs might offer a more cost-effective solution and called for more feasibility studies before a full-scale rollout.

“It is a good idea to prevent corrosion in tracks. It would ensure the availability of tracks for train operations. Life cycle cost would automatically come down," said Railways' former member engineering M.K. Gupta.

Railways have begun using nickel chromium copper grade rails developed by SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP). These high-performance rails are being used to meet the demands for modern, durable tracks, such as those used in Vande Bharat trains and heavy-haul corridors. While SAIL did not reply to the query, a company executive stated that these rails were being used by the Railways to meet a portion of their annual requirement for steel tracks.

The benefits of using thermal-sprayed zinc rails in areas facing a high level of corrosion are higher than the limited increase in cost, said Rahul Sharma, director-India, International Zinc Association.