AFURail – A New Era in Railway Infrastructure
In the 1970s, a ground-breaking innovation emerged in Japan: the composite railway sleeper, born from a close collaboration between the national railway and a leading high-performance polymer manufacturer. Inspired by the fibrous structure of wood, this sleeper combines continuous longitudinal glass fibres with a durable polyurethane matrix, manufactured in various profiles and lengths using the pultrusion process.
In China, this construction principle – continuous glass fibres embedded in a polyurethane matrix – has been systematically refined and optimised. The result is AFURail – Advanced Fibered Urethane, a high-performance composite sleeper that combines durability, sustainability, and cost-efficient production in one advanced solution.
Since 2008, this technology has been successfully deployed across China’s railway system – from high-speed lines and urban transit networks to heavy-duty freight corridors. It has proven itself as a true engineering success story.
Performance Meets Practicality
AFURail is:
- Potable water compliant
- Self-extinguishing in case of fire
- As easy to cut and handle as wood
But unlike timber, AFURail withstands extreme weather and environmental exposure without degrading.
Thanks to its closed-cell structure, it absorbs no moisture and is fully resistant to oils, lubricants, and contaminants typically found in rail operations and logistics hubs.
Engineered in China – Ready for the World
Through decades of strategic investment, China has become a global leader in railway technology – building the world’s largest high-speed rail network, now exceeding 40,000 kilometres. As domestic markets mature, the focus is shifting outward.
AFURail is now available to railway operators worldwide – a proven, reliable, and economically attractive solution built on decades of field experience and industrial innovation.
