Track brittleness

Track brittleness affects most significantly older rails, and this problem occurs in very low temperatures.

Tracks can suffer from decreasing ductility because the cold weather causes steel to become more brittle. Stiffness of the tracks is important for trains at high speed. This affects adversely on maintenance of the tracks and passenger comfort. Increased track brittleness leads to increased wear and can even damage the wheels enough to cause an axle failure.