A rail line being closed is surely not a new thing and since around 1960 most countries have seen a massive onslaught on their rail networks. Although the main cause for closure is due to rationalizations and changing transportation needs, mainly due to competition from road transport, some lines disappears as a result of being replaced with another line with a different route.

The pictures below are from a line of the latter type where an outdated and curve-rich line was replaced with a new straight high-speed line some fifteen years ago. Although an upgrade like this would typically pass by with very little notice, this one is different as some thirty kilometres of track has simply been left out in the forest to rust. Obviously – nature gains back what once was captured by man...

Given today's steel scrap prices it is strange that a track of this length is just left. With a track weight of around 50 kilos per meter, each meter of line would yield 100 kgs of steel scrap. 30 kilometers would equal at least 3000 metric tons of steel, given the additional steel in catenary poles, bolts, joints and nails.
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