ArcelorMittal and Metrotenerife are shaking up the rail market with an innovation allowing quicker track replacement for Light Rail Transportation.

Thanks to this innovation, consisting of a removable insulating chamber, grooved rails can be removed and installed with no disruptions and without demolishing street pavements.

Metrotenerife’s insulating chamber patent system was awarded Technical Innovation of the Year at the 2021 Global Light Rail Awards.

Check out the video to learn more about it.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications

Images:
ArcelorMittal Rails & Special sections

Related link(s)

Thanks to their high performance and low carbon content, ArcelorMittal Rodange's grooved rails headlined the Iberian market (and others too) in 2021!

Rails with lower carbon content and better performance

ArcelorMittal's mill in Rodange (Luxembourg) specialises in the production of rails. In 2021, it supplied 8000 metres of grooved rails (60R1) for Metrovalencia's new Line 10, an extension of Valencia's underground network that connects the suburbs with the centre of the Spanish coastal city.

The full 8000 metres of rails were made from Low Carbon R290V steel, a grade that stands for less carbon content with better performance, including easy maintenance, welding, and repair welding that increases the service life of embedded rails. Thanks to these characteristics, the rails of the Metrovalencia will have a more sustainable use.

Juan José Gainza, Product development manager at ArcelorMittal Rails & Special sections, is proud of the advantages of this steel: "At ArcelorMittal, we are convinced the use of R290V steel grade on embedded tracks will bring added benefits to our customers, allowing for gauge corner restoration, increased wear resistance, and easier overall maintenance of the rails."

About Metrovalencia

Valencia is the third city in Spain to have an underground metro network, with Metrovalencia inaugurated in October 1988. The new Line 10 allows the inhabitants of the Nazareth district to reach the centre of Valencia thanks to two additional kilometres of track with eight new stops.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Luxembourg
Constructalia

Images:
ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

The Port of Huelva is the fifth busiest port in Spain and the 29th out of approximately 1200 ports in Europe. ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products is contributing to its ongoing expansion with the supply of steel sheet piles, rails, and sections produced in Luxembourg.

525-metre-long extension

The Port of Huelva is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula. The area has been one of Europe’s main gateways for maritime trade since Roman times. Huelva maintains this legacy acting as a major hub of the European trade network, linking to the African and American continents. With the need to cater to growing demands while keeping the port’s high quality of service, the Port Authority of Huelva decided to welcome the future with a 525-metre-long extension of its south quay.

A complete solution developed jointly by ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling, the stakeholders, and the decision makers

In April 2017, the Port of Huelva commissioned a feasibility report of design alternatives. This report indicated steel sheet piles as the preferred solution, with key considerations like quality assurance and environmental benefits as only achievable with steel sheet pile walls. The remaining, but not insignificant, hurdle to sort was the economics.

In the ensuing two-year period, the project went from preliminary design to tender award with Ferrovial Construcción SA winning the bid in May 2019. During this period, the ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling team was hired several times by the designers, contractor, and the Port of Huelva for technical advice and solution optimisation. This gave the team a unique understanding of the project, which in turn contributed to aligning project design, execution, and end-use for an economically successful project.

All products made in Luxembourg

The first delivery of steel products took place in April 2020. Overall, ArcelorMittal supplied:

• 8070 tonnes of HZ-M®/AZ® double pile combined wall up to 33m long - tailor made to project requirements in Differdange and Belval and used as principal structural elements for the quay wall. They were produced from 100% recycled steel in electric arc furnaces, obtaining the EcoSheetPile™ label.
• 1180 tonnes of anchorage material from state-of-the-art specialist manufacturer Anker Schroeder.
• 207 tonnes of crane rails, produced in Rodange, to extend the crane track from the existing quay onto the new one.
• 150 tonnes of sections, produced in Differdange and Belval, used to connect the anchoring system.

Finishing works

With the main steel sheet pile structure already in place, the ongoing finishing works at the Port of Huelva are due to be complete in 2022.

The ArcelorMittal Sheet Piling team continues its work at the disposal of stakeholders around the world looking to harness the benefits of sheet piles for their project needs.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
© Port of Huelva
© ArcelorMittal

Related link(s)

Puerto de Huelva