The first high-speed railway linking Beijing and North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region went into service on Dec 30, 2019, paved with steel rail provided by Baogang Group, the largest iron and steel manufacturer based in the autonomous region.

The high-speed rail line consists of two sections: the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Intercity Railway which is 174 kilometers in length and the Zhangjiakou-Hohhot Railway which is 286 km long.

According to officials of Baogang Group, high-speed railways have quite high requirements in their technological parameters, demanding precise straightness and in the geometric dimensions of the rails.

The 60N-U71MnG high speed steel rail was produced under strict requirements in smelting and production technology control. Its geometrical dimensions and straightness levels were controlled far more accurately than ordinary rails, to ensure the stable operation of the high-speed bullet trains.

Also, as the Baotou steel rail contains rare earth, giving it better wear resistance, toughness and impact performance.

Headquartered in Baotou, Baogang Group has produced 3.12 million tons of steel rail for high-speed railways, equivalent to a railway mileage of more than 10,000 kilometers, accounting for about one third of the total existing mileage of China's high-speed railways.