The rail profile is the cross sectional shape of a railway rail, perpendicular to its length.
Rail from 1896 showing manufacturer's name and specification formed onto the web of rail during rolling.
Early rails in US
Section of the Translohr guidance rail (during the Clermont-Ferrand installation in 2006)
Fishbelly edge rails laid on stone blocks on the Cromford and High Peak Railway
A railway track or railroad track, also known as a train track or permanent way, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, railroad ties and ballast, plus the underlying subgrade. It enables trains to move by providing a dependable surface for their wheels to roll upon. Early tracks were constructed with wooden or cast iron rails, and wooden or stone sleepers; since the 1870s, rails have almost universally been made from steel.
New railway concrete sleeper
Traditional railway track showing ballast, part of sleeper and fixing mechanisms
Track of Singapore LRT
Ballastless high-speed track in China