THE first green rail supplied by Voestalpine to Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has been laid by ÖBB CEO, Andreas Matthä, and Voestalpine CEO, Herbert Eibensteiner, at Linz main station in the presence of federal minister of innovation, mobility, and infrastructure, Peter Hanke.
In what Voestalpine claims to be a world first, the steel forming the rail has been manufactured using green hydrogen in place of fossil fuel, resulting in net zero CO2 emissions. The new climate-neutral rail also contributes to the circular economy as it is made from recycled material.
The steel was produced by the Hyfor pilot plant at Voestalpine’s Donawitz site, using a combination of scrap and hydrogen-reduced pure iron. It was then melted down in the TechMet research steelworks at Donawitz for processing in the adjacent rail rolling mill.
The new rail is being laid at the western exit from Linz main station, as part of the €954m project to quadruple the 24km double-track West main line between Linz and Wels.
“We have already successfully launched our path to green steel production and are making rapid progress with the construction of two green-powered electric arc furnaces in Linz and Donawitz,” says Eibensteiner.
“Our long-term goal by 2050 is net zero CO2 emissions in steel production. To this end, we are already conducting research into several new processes and investing in pilot and presentation projects that demonstrate new steel production possibilities.”
“Every train journey begins with the first metre of track,” Matthä says. “This journey towards a sustainable mobility future has gained further momentum.”
