An anchoring assembly for fastening a railway rail to an underlying foundation, the anchoring assembly including a base plate configured to receive the rail, a fastener configured to fasten the base plate to the underlying foundation, and a rigid sleeve defining a passage through which a stem of the fastener passes. The base plate comprises an opening and the sleeve is configured to extend through the base plate opening, the sleeve extends a distance greater than a thickness of the base plate such that the sleeve extends from a top surface of the base plate and beyond a bottom surface of the base plate when installed, and the sleeve is configured such that a compressive load applied by the fastener when installed is transmitted through the sleeve to the underlying foundation.