This article summarizes the experiences gained at the Nordic heavy haul line “Malmbanan” located in Northern Sweden and Norway during the years 2007 to 2015 and the resulting best practice. Unique long-term information of field trials and monitoring from the on-going development for maintenance of rail and wheel has been described. The reported results come from the rail profile measurements using MiniProf and HC-recordings with Eddy-current devices and visual inspection on 43 test sections. The monitoring has been continuous since the project started, to reveal a deep insight into the complex wheel–rail interaction and provide understanding of the effect of applying optimized specifications. This was particularly important in view of the increasing traffic load that contributed to doubling of the yearly grinding campaigns. This article presents in particular the new MB5 profile, the wear rate behaviour between two different curves, impacts of gauge widening on rail rolling contact fatigue and the speed of gauge widening as well as the seasonal impact on the crack propagation. The presently applied maintenance strategy is discussed together with other experiences. The article finishes with some conclusions and an outlook into further work.