On June 25,  at the track-laying base of the Port of Marébaya for the Guinea-Mali Railway Project, with the start of welding by intelligent fixed flash welding machines, Africa's first intelligent rail welding production line officially commenced operations within the Guinea-Mali Railway Project constructed by China Railway First Group Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway.

The railway from the Port of Marébaya in Guinea to the Simandou mining area is a supporting project for the transportation of ore extracted from the Simandou mining area by the Winning Consortium. With a total length of approximately 553 kilometers, it will be Guinea's longest modern railway upon completion. The MXTJ-01 section of the Guinea-Mali Railway Project constructed by China Railway First Group includes the prefabrication and erection of 1,710 T-beams, the laying of 289.14 kilometers of main line tracks, and the laying of 61.06 kilometers of station tracks. Approximately 24,000 joints need to be welded along the route. After the rail welding production line is put into operation, it will undertake the welding of about 22,000 joints, greatly reducing the amount of welding required at the construction site.

To meet the needs of mechanized track-laying construction for the Guinea-Mali Railway Project, the rail welding production line adopts China's advanced UN5-150G1 fixed flash welding machines, GDZH-120 rail heat treatment machines, RWCM-2500-A four-way straightening machines, and other automated tooling equipment and new technologies, achieving industrialization, intelligence, informatization, and greenization of rail welding, and enhancing welding quality and efficiency. This ensures high-quality tracks and smooth train operation after the laying of long rails, driving China's advanced rail welding equipment, technologies, and standards to go global.

It is reported that on the Guinea-Mali Railway, 25-meter standard rails will be welded into 300-meter long rails through the rail welding production line, and then mechanized long rail laying will be carried out using China's advanced new multi-functional long rail tractors. Compared to welding long rails on site, factory welding of long rails not only saves manpower and working hours but also reduces harmful soot emissions, effectively improving the efficiency of rail laying. 

Source: China Railway Corporation Limited