Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, part of Orion Steel, has started hot commissioning at its new Danieli universal rail mill in Pueblo, Colorado, marking a key step toward commercial operations.
The mill is designed to produce up to 650,000 short tons per year of flat-bottom and thick-web rails, with weights of up to 88 kg/m and lengths reaching 100 meters. The rails meet AREMA specifications and are intended for heavy-haul and high-speed rail applications, with hardness levels of up to 425 BHN.
Commissioning activities are underway across major production units, including the breakdown mill, tandem reversing mill, cooling bed, and horizontal and vertical straighteners. Hot trials are progressing as planned.
Described as the most advanced rail mill in North America, the facility incorporates Danieli’s latest rolling, automation, and process control technologies to support the production of long-length, premium-quality rails.
Orion Steel is a major U.S. steel producer formed following Atlas Holdings’ acquisition of Evraz North America. It is a leading producer of engineered steel products for the rail, energy, infrastructure, and industrial sectors. The company operates with 2.3 mln tons of steelmaking capacity and 3.5 mln tons of finished steel capacity, including tubular products. Overall, the company runs two electric arc furnace (EAF) steel plants, 12 rolling mills, and 17 scrap recycling facilities, producing steel with over 98pct recycled content.
