Strings of Ri 52 girder rail awaiting installation on Seattle's First Hill Streetcar line lie coated in frost on a chilly winter morning.
Although girder rail is the de facto standard for streetcar installations around the world, its use is relatively uncommon in the US; it's only rolled in mills overseas, and Buy America requirements for federally-funded projects prevent agencies from acquiring the girder rail. Instead, most use T-rail with a molded rubber flangeway, which isn't an ideal solution since the flangeway lacks perfect rigidity and can be deformed during the process of pouring the roadway slab or torn up from contact with wheel flanges. US-produced 112TRAM block rail has also recently been installed in Portland and is gaining acceptance. However, since Seattle's First Hill Streetcar project is funded locally (via Sound Transit's taxing authority), the preferred Ri 52 can be used for this installation.
