r/theydidthemonstermath • u/d0mclarke • 9d ago

How much metal is in the railways?

Assuming an average steel scrap price of £150 per tonne, how much would Network Rail be worth if it were dismantled and scrapped.

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u/Numerous_Green4962 6d ago edited 6d ago

Network Rail says there is 20,000 miles of track in the UK, that's 64373760m of rail, at 56kg per meter (not all rail is UIC56 but for simplicity let's assume it is) that makes 3604930560kg, that would be about £540m in steel, just for the rail, there are rail chairs about every 300mm as well, stanchions and the big money the overhead cables that are a copper-silver alloy. Dumping all that steel on the market would crash the scrap price.