British Steel secures major contract with Turkey

4 days ago

David McKenna,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshireand

Paul Murphy,in Scunthorpe

News image — The steel produced in Scunthorpe will be used for a high-speed electric railway between Ankara and Izmir

PA Media Sparks fly as a worker welds in the rail and sections hot end rolling mill at the British Steel site in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire in April — The steel produced in Scunthorpe will be used for a high-speed electric railway between Ankara and Izmir

British Steel says it has begun round-the-clock rail manufacturing operations for the first time in more than a decade after securing a major contract with Turkey.

The order, said to be worth tens of millions of pounds, is for a 372-mile (599km) high-speed electric railway between the capital Ankara and the port city of Izmir.

The new line would greatly reduce journey times and significantly reduce emissions compared to current transport options, officials said.

Craig Harvey, British Steel's commercial director (rail), said: "This contract has been the catalyst to us starting 24/7 rail manufacturing operations in Scunthorpe."

Paul Murphy/BBC A woman with long brown hair and pale blue eyes smiles at the camera as she pictured standing in front of a set of railings with industrial buildings in the background. She is wearing a dark great hooded jacket and black crew neck top with a floral pattern close to the collar. — Chief commercial officer Lisa Coulson said there was a sense of moving forward after a "challenging time" for British Steel

The rails manufactured in Scunthorpe will be supplied to ERG International Group, which is delivering the project on behalf of the Turkish government.

British Steel's chief commercial officer Lisa Coulson said: "Securing this prestigious contract 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."

She acknowledged it had been "a challenging time" for the firm, but added there was now a sense of moving forward.

"This is a significant contract, and there are other commercial contracts that we are working towards," she added.

Getty Images An aerial view of the British Steel site in Scunthorpe. There is an array of chimney structures, with steam billowing out of cooling towers, two in the foreground and two in the background. There are numerous sheds and containers, along with piles of materials. — The firm's chief commercial officer Lisa Coulson said the deal underlined British Steel's ability to build the sustainable track systems of the future

Tom Smith, from the Community trade union, said: "We are once again proving just how critical we are to the UK as an exporter for steel."

He said he would also like to see British Steel nationalised in the short-term to "cement the government's belief in us".

"We need to make sure we keep the blast furnace technology because we are the best in the world," he added.

The new contract comes after the UK government took control of British Steel's plant in Scunthorpe in April to prevent it from closing.

The firm later described 2025 as a "challenging year" but said it was "looking to the future with optimism" after securing a number of major contracts, including a £500m deal to make train tracks for Network Rail.

Industry minister Chris McDonald said: "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."

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