Rail track laying is a technical and expensive task. Researchers at the University of Southampton in the UK are using science to improve today’s maintenance and tomorrow’s design especially for high-speed rail routes. When a piece of track has expired or been damaged, maintenance is often too expensive or ineffective, therefore more rail operators are focused on coming up with solutions to refurbish or renew the tracks. Most railroads with heavy traffic use continuously welded rails supported by sleepers attached via base plates that spread the load. So this week’s video looks into the work being carried out by the University of Southampton that aims to improve this expensive but vital rail maintenance.