According to this invention a guideway for railway vehicles and the like having beams or slabs extending between columns or footings comprises a continuous welded steel rail which is fixed directly to the columns or footings. The rail is prestressed in tension prior to fixing to the columns, the amount of prestressing being such that the rail remains in tension at all times that the guideway is usable. Thermally induced effects in the rail may lessen the tension in the rail with increasing temperature but do not fully relieve the tension when the guideway is usable. As the rail is in tension at all times that the guideway is operable no fasteners are used which would ordinarily transmit thermally induced forces to the beams or slabs. The rails are installed on the guideway according to the method of this invention in sections. Adjoining sections of rails are spaced apart a distance "X" and affixed to a column preferably other than at the end of the rail. The free portion of the sections of rail are stretched until in contact with each and then fixed to each other and the columns. The distance "X" is the amount the sections of rail would expand under thermally induced effects over the distance between fixation of the sections to the columns or footings.