The “green” rail was produced at the HYFOR (Hydrogen-based Fine Ore Reduction) pilot plant in Donawitz from a mixture of scrap and hydrogen-reduced pure iron. This special raw material was melted at the company's TechMet (Technikum Metallurgie) research steel plant in Donawitz, processed at the adjacent rail rolling mill, and finally turned into rail.
Like all rails produced by voestalpine, the hydrogen-based rail is extremely hard and highly resistant to wear. The first such rail was laid at Linz Central Station. As a global market leader in railway infrastructure systems, voestalpine Railway Systems supplies rail systems, switch systems, and signaling technology for international railway projects. The company offers both the “hardware” (rails, switches, fittings, and sleepers) and the “software” in the form of signaling technology and digital monitoring applications for railway lines and trains from a single source.
voestalpine has reached a new milestone in sustainable steel production with the production and delivery of the world's first hydrogen-based rail. The company achieved this success through investments made as part of its research projects. Herbert Eibensteiner, CEO of voestalpine AG, stated, "The production of the world's first hydrogen-reduced rail at our Donawitz plant is a historic milestone. We are following a clear, phased plan to transform our steel production with Greentec Steel. Starting in 2027, a green energy-powered electric arc furnace will be commissioned at each of our facilities in Linz and Donawitz. Our long-term goal by 2050 is to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions in steel production."
Hydrogen-based steel production uses hydrogen obtained from renewable energy sources (ideally green) to separate oxygen from iron ore. Unlike traditional blast furnace production processes, this method produces only water vapor instead of CO2. While pure iron reduced with hydrogen is produced at the HYFOR pilot plant, the smelting process is carried out at voestalpine's TechMet research facility. This facility is a one-of-a-kind miniature full-scale steel factory.
Franz Kainersdorfer, Head of the Metal Engineering Division and Member of the Executive Board at voestalpine AG, stated, “The production of high-quality, CO2-reduced steel grades is one of the greatest technological challenges in the transition to green steel production. As the world's leading provider of complete railway infrastructure systems, our mission is to create sustainable and trend-setting solutions for tomorrow's mobility."
The Metal Engineering Division of the voestalpine Group, together with its Railway Systems business unit, is a global market leader in diagnostic and monitoring solutions for railway infrastructure systems, infrastructure, and rolling stock, as well as maintenance management software solutions. In collaboration with the Industrial Systems business unit, it is the European market leader in high-quality wire production and also operates as a global supplier of complete welding solutions. Additionally, it supplies seamless pipes worldwide from its facility in Kindberg, Austria.
Its customers include the railway infrastructure industry, the energy sector, mechanical engineering, the automotive and construction industries, and the renewable energy sector. The Department of Metallurgical Engineering is currently conducting intensive research on various innovative, climate-friendly technologies and production processes as part of the greentec steel program.
In the 2024/25 fiscal year, the Metal Engineering Department generated approximately EUR 4.2 billion in revenue in collaboration with the Railway Systems and Industrial Systems business units. Over 45% of this revenue came from markets outside Europe. During the same period, the department recorded an EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) of EUR 461 million and employed approximately 15,100 people worldwide.
Comments
No comment yet.