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Railroads are built on tradition, but they run on innovation. As infrastructure demands grow and timber supplies tighten, the industry is looking for smarter ways to maintain track integrity without overhauling entire systems. Enter the Keyway Tie, a concrete crosstie designed to behave like wood, reshaping how railroads think about track upgrades.

Developed by voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak, the Keyway Tie blends the structural advantages of concrete with the flexibility and interchangeability of timber. It is not just a new tie; it is a new way of thinking about track evolution.

Concrete ties have long been recognized for their durability and gauge-holding strength. Yet more than 90% of North American track is still built with wood ties, largely due to their ease of installation and compatibility with existing maintenance equipment. However, timber ties have become increasingly expensive, with inconsistent quality and a growing vulnerability to decay, especially in high-tonnage corridors where gauge failure can lead to derailments.

The Keyway Tie offers a middle path. Engineered to match the track stiffness of timber while delivering the longevity of concrete, it can be interspersed with wood ties using standard maintenance-of-way equipment. This approach allows railroads to upgrade incrementally, minimizing disruption and avoiding the high costs of full-scale conversion.

What sets the Keyway Tie apart is its recessed keyway rail seat and interlocking resilient tie plate design, which allows the Keyway Tie to absorb and distribute loads with less impact on the ballast and subgrade materials. The geometry of the tie with its scalloped design enhances interlock with the ballast and improves lateral and longitudinal resistance, helping the track maintain alignment under heavy traffic. Its fastening system also allows for gauge adjustability up to ±0.4 inches, meaning it can be placed directly into existing track without requiring gauge correction.

According to “Digging into Cause Codes for Track-Related Derailments” published in the August 2025 issue of Railway Track & Structures (RT&S), wide gauge accounts for approximately 25% of track-related derailments in North America. Fortunately, this trend has been declining thanks to infrastructure upgrades that include concrete ties, larger tie plates, and elastic fasteners, all of which are integrated into the Keyway Tie. By combining these elements into a single, adaptable solution, the Keyway Tie directly addresses one of the most persistent causes of derailments, reinforcing its value not just in durability, but in safety performance as well.

Beyond safety, the Keyway Tie also delivers engineering advantages in some of the most challenging areas of track design: transition zones. Recent research and field trials have demonstrated the Keyway Tie’s effectiveness in bridging track stiffness transition zones, where differences between fixed structures or concrete tie and timber tie track stiffness often lead to high impacts and accelerated degradation. By tuning the resilient components of the Keyway Tie, engineers have created a tie with intermediate stiffness that reduces overload on adjacent components and mitigates ballast degradation. Field installations on Class-1 heavy haul corridors have shown positive results, including reduced plate cutting, improved ballast stability, and elimination of mud holes validating the Keyway Tie as a practical solution for challenging transition areas.

In addition to these findings, trials on Class-1 railroad segments have compared full concrete replacement with interspersed Keyway installations. Early results suggest that the latter approach offers comparable performance with significantly reduced installation time and cost. This presents an attractive option for railroads balancing capital constraints with operational demands.

While the upfront cost of the Keyway Tie may exceed that of traditional timber ties, its value becomes clearer over time. With reduced maintenance cycles, improved gauge retention, and longer service life, the Keyway Tie offers a compelling case for lower total cost of ownership. Notably, its robust design and load-sharing characteristics can also extend the life of adjacent wood ties when interspersed, further amplifying its cost-effectiveness. By matching wood tie track modulus and reducing ballast pressure compared to standard concrete tie track, the Keyway Tie is engineered for both flexibility and durability, making it a strategic investment that prioritizes long-term reliability over short-term savings.

The Keyway Tie has already proven its versatility across heavy haul, commuter rail, and light rail applications. Guard rail and transition tie options are also available, making it adaptable to a wide range of track configurations. Its compatibility with timber tie infrastructure makes it especially valuable for networks seeking to extend the life of existing assets while improving safety and reliability.

voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak offers comprehensive, in-house design and manufacturing of 100% Buy America compliant railway systems solutions. The product portfolio includes special trackwork, switch machines, monitoring systems, premium rail, concrete ties, direct fixation fasteners, resilient clips, pads and insulators. The Keyway Concrete Tie exemplifies our commitment to providing innovative solutions that meet the highest standards of reliability and performance, supporting railroads across North America in achieving a more durable and efficient infrastructure.

This November, voestalpine Railway Systems Nortrak will present the paper “Track stiffness transition optimization using specialty concrete sleepers and fastener systems” at the International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA) Conference. The presentation will explore the engineering principles behind the Keyway Tie, its performance in transition zones, and its role in advancing track infrastructure strategies.

If you are attending IHHA, we invite you to join the conversation. Learn how small design shifts, like a concrete tie that thinks like wood, can lead to big changes in how we build and maintain the railways of tomorrow.

The post Concrete That Thinks Like Wood: The Innovation Behind the Keyway Tie appeared first on Railway Age.

For years, maintenance crews across the railroad industry have trusted WVCO Railroad Solutions SpikeFast® tie remediation products to extend the life of wooden, composite and concrete ties while improving track performance and reliability. Built on years of field success, our regular cartridges (450 ml) have been the go-to solution for precise, high-strength repair applications for smaller applications. Now that same trusted formula is available in XL cartridges (1,500 ml) for larger projects, to keep crews working longer with fewer interruptions—delivering more productivity, less waste and the same industry-leading performance.

Every minute on track matters. With the XL cartridge, crews can repair more than three times as many holes per cartridge on larger stretches of track repairs compared to the regular cartridges. Fewer changeouts mean smoother workflow, faster completion times, and less downtime spent swapping cartridges or handling packaging. The result: more holes repaired per shift and greater efficiency across the board.

Beyond increased productivity, the larger cartridge supports sustainability and cost savings. Using fewer cartridges per project translates into:

• Reduced packaging waste and disposal costs
• Simplified logistics and storage
• Less time managing empty containers

It’s a cleaner, more efficient approach that helps railroads and contractors meet environmental and operational goals simultaneously.

As rail maintenance operations look for ways to do more with fewer resources, innovations like the SpikeFast® XL cartridges make a measurable difference. It’s the same trusted product—just re-engineered to maximize uptime, minimize waste, and keep crews focused on what matters most: getting the job done.

Discover how the new XL cartridge can help your maintenance program increase productivity and reduce waste—without changing your proven process.

Learn more at WVCO Railroad Solutions 

WVCO Railroad Solutions — Your partner for the long haul.

The post Bigger Cartridges. Better Efficiency. Same Proven Results: Introducing XL cartridges for SpikeFast® ES-50 and SpikeFast® CTR-100 appeared first on Railway Age.

An Oct. 30 letter to the Surface Transportation Board co-authored by Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asks the STB to “closely scrutinize” the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger, stressing “the potential disruptions to U.S. rail service resulting from a merger of this scale” and “the need for the STB to fully analyze the potential impact on long-term competition, including for agriculture producers, many of whom already face limited options for accessing rail service.”

Sixteen Senators—eight Republicans and eight Democrats—cosigned the letter (download below): Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Addressed to STB Chairman Patrick Fuchs, Vice Chair Michelle Schultz and Member Karen Hedlund, the letter notes that “the STB’s post-2001 ‘Major Rail Consolidation Procedures’ were adopted specifically to place heightened emphasis on whether Class I railroad mergers enhance, rather than merely preserve, competition… The proposed UP+NS merger will be the first to come before the Board under these rules, and it is essential that you establish a strong precedent and apply these heightened standards in the way they were intended. If approved, a combined UP+NS would handle more than 40%of all U.S. freight rail traffic (a point made by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, which recently established a website stating its case against the UP+NS transaction)… a transcontinental system spanning 50,000 route-miles across 43 states. Service interruptions of this magnitude could have severe consequences, especially for agricultural producers. Time-sensitive shipments during harvest could be delayed or spoiled, export windows could be missed, and access to global markets could be sharply reduced… “We look forward to working with you to ensure the STB continues to promote an efficient, competitive, and economically viable freight rail network that serves the public interest.” 

The Senators added their viewpoint “has been endorsed by the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), Agriculture Transportation Coalition (AgTC), Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD), American Chemistry Council (ACC), American Crystal Sugar, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), Freight Rail Customer Alliance (FRCA), Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce, Minn-Dak Farmers’ Cooperative, Montana Agricultural Business Association, National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), National Farmers Union (NFU), North Carolina Agribusiness Council, North Dakota Agricultural Association, North Dakota Farmers Union, North Dakota Petroleum Council, North Dakota Grain Growers Association, North Dakota Grain Dealers Association, North Dakota Trade Office and the Southern Rail Commission.”

Join Railway Age on March 10, 2026 for our “Next-Gen Freight Rail Conference” at the Union League Club of Chicago. Confirmed participants include Jim Vena (UP), Mark George (NS), Keith Creel (CPKC), Tracy Robinson (CN), and Patrick Fuchs and Michelle Schultz (STB).

The post Hoeven, Klobuchar to STB: ‘Closely Scrutinize’ UP+NS appeared first on Railway Age.