“The rail mill will feature flexible rolling processes both in the break-down and in the ultra-flexible reversing mills, achieving very low roll consumption and precise geometrical tolerances thanks to an advanced Danieli Automation control system,” Danieli said in a statement. 

EVRAZ broke ground on the Pueblo, Colo., USA, facility earlier this month, marking the start of work on a facility that will annually produce 670,000 short tons of rail in lengths of up to 100 m. 

The new mill will replace an existing line and is expected to roll the first rails in late 2022 or early 2023. Danieli said it will be the most modern rail-rolling mill in North America and serve customers such as Union Pacific. 

Union Pacific chief executive Lance Fritz said the longer rails will lead to a significant reduction in the number of welds, which will meaningfully improve safety and reliability.