Turkey deal ignites 24/7 working at British Steel

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British Steel has secured a new order worth tens of millions of pounds to provide rail for a major high-speed electric railway in Turkey. The eight-figure agreement, supported by UK Export Finance (UFEF), will see British Steel supply 36,000 tonnes of rail to ERG International Group. It will help create a 599km line between Ankara and İzmir, significantly reducing carbon emissions by cutting rail travel time between the Turkish capital and port city. The contract has created 23 new roles and seen the business start 24/7 rail manufacturing operations for the first time in over a decade.

Lisa Coulson, British Steel chief commercial officer, said: “Securing this prestigious contract – with the support of UKEF – was a major achievement and underlines British Steel’s ability to build the sustainable track systems of the future. It also demonstrates the importance of British Steel, the UK’s only manufacturer of rail, to this country’s economy and Britain’s global trading partners. We are extremely grateful for the UK Government’s support in sealing this contract and look forward to working in partnership to secure more orders for our world-class products.”

The new high-speed line will revolutionise transport in Turkey, reducing rail travel time between Ankara and İzmir by more than 10hr. Not only will this provide passengers and freight operators with a faster and more efficient rail service, but it will significantly reduce emissions by providing a lower carbon alternative to current transport options. British Steel will supply its rails to ERG International Group, which is delivering the project on behalf of Turkey’s government. Once commissioned, the line will be operated by the Turkish State Railways.

Craig Harvey, British Steel’s commercial director of rail, said: “We have a distinguished record of supplying into high-speed rail projects across the world and have previously delivered rail into Turkey through ERG for earlier phases of the Ankara to Izmir line. For this new agreement, we were again able to comply with the demanding technical specifications and the project delivery schedule which we can support with a robust logistics supply chain.”

Future needs
He continued: “This contract has been the catalyst to us starting 24-7 rail manufacturing operations in Scunthorpe. We are also optimistic we can supply other steel products into this project and are working with ERG to support its future needs.”

The contract is for British Steel’s 60E2 rail which will be delivered throughout 2026 in 36m lengths. Industry Minister Chris McDonald said: “UK-made steel is renowned for its high quality, and this order is welcome news for British Steel. Supporting deals like this is at the heart of our Steel Strategy. Every tonne of British-made steel used in projects at home and abroad helps sustain skilled employment and reinforces its quality for the world's most ambitious engineering projects.”

Melike Erdem, CEO of ERG International UK, said: “Today marks another major milestone in our long-standing partnership with British Steel. The Ankara–Izmir High-Speed Rail Project is progressing at pace, and this agreement ensures the delivery of world-class rail products that meet the highest standards of quality and performance.”

Mohamed Ibrahim, ERG International UK COO, concluded: “We are proud to deepen our collaboration with the UK supply chain. This contract not only strengthens our technical delivery, but also reinforces the strategic cooperation between ERG, British Steel, UKEF and DBT across major international infrastructure projects. This new rail supply agreement follows successful deliveries in 2025 and paves the way for further collaboration between ERG International and British Steel on upcoming projects.”