Traditionally, tracks are constructed using flat-bottomed steel rails laid on and spiked or screwed into timber or pre-stressed concrete sleepers (known as ties in North America), with crushed stone ballast placed beneath and around the sleepers.

Modern train tracks in 2026 are not exactly "bolted to the ground" in a permanent sense, but rather secured through a sophisticated system of layers. The rails are typically fastened to sleepers (ties) using heavy-duty steel clips or screws. These sleepers are then "embedded" in a deep bed of crushed stone ballast. The ballast provides the necessary friction and weight to hold the entire track structure in place through sheer gravity and interlocking stones, while still allowing for the minute movements caused by thermal expansion and the immense pressure of passing trains. In high-speed "ballastless" tracks (like parts of the Shinkansen), the rails are indeed bolted into concrete slabs which are themselves anchored to the viaduct. However, for most of the world's rail, the track is a "floating" structure held by the weight of the stone, which also facilitates vital drainage and prevents vegetation growth.