Indian Railways to test galvanized rails for humid, coastal zones

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The Indian Railways plans to use galvanised steel rails in coastal and high-humidity regions to reduce corrosion and quadruple track life, two people aware of the development said. 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.