Railway fishplates, also called rail joints, are used to join two rails together. In railway tracks, the primary purpose of fishplates (rail joint bars) is to connect two sections of rails, forming a continuous and smooth track structure while maintaining strength and stability at the joint.
By closely fitting against the rail web and securely fastening both sides with fish bolts (rail joint bolts), the fishplates ensure proper alignment and load transfer at the rail joint. They not only withstand longitudinal tension, compression, and shear forces generated by train operations but also effectively distribute stress at the rail head and web, preventing gauge variations or joint gap movement at the connection point.
In different types of railways, fishplates also serve temperature compensation and insulation functions. For tracks requiring thermal expansion, fishplate designs allow appropriate joint gaps to relieve internal stresses caused by thermal contraction and expansion. In signal-block sections, insulated rail joints are used to isolate track circuits, ensuring the accuracy and safety of train signaling systems. High-strength fishplates are particularly critical in heavy-haul and high-speed railways, as rail joints are weak points in the track system and must possess excellent fatigue resistance and impact tolerance.
GNEE RAIL manufactures various specifications and standard-compliant fishplates, along with matching fish bolts, spring washers, and flat washers. Additionally, GNEE RAIL supplies a wide range of railway fasteners, including rail clips (such as SKL, KPO, Nabla, E Clip, and Fast Clip types), screw spikes, dog spikes, rail bolts and nuts, gauge rods, rail pads, rail braces, rail clamps, and insulated gauge blocks. Customized designs and global delivery services are available to meet the installation and maintenance needs of various track engineering projects.
