British Steel wins Ankara–Izmir high-speed rail deal

British Steel lands eight-figure deal to supply Turkey's Ankara–Izmir high-speed line

British Steel has signed a tens-of-millions-of-pounds export deal to deliver 36,000 tonnes of rail for Turkey's Ankara–Izmir high-speed railway, restarting round-the-clock production at its Scunthorpe plant for the first time in over a decade.

A government-backed strategic contract

British Steel has confirmed an "eight-figure agreement" with ERG International Group, supported by UK Export Finance (UKEF) through its Buyer Credit Scheme. The deal is part of a broader financial architecture: in March 2022, the UK government announced a €2.1bn loan guarantee for the entire Turkish rail project — at the time UKEF's largest-ever civil infrastructure guarantee — with Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered Bank acting as structuring and coordinating lenders.

Industry Minister Chris McDonald welcomed the news, noting that every tonne of British-made steel used in international projects helps sustain skilled employment and reinforces the UK's reputation for engineering quality.

60E2 rail in 36-metre lengths: the technical case

The contract covers 60E2 profile rail, a heavy-duty, high-speed standard weighing approximately 60 kg per running metre. Supplying it in 36-metre bars reduces the number of rail joints on the track, cutting mechanical stress, improving ride comfort and lowering long-term maintenance costs.

Deliveries will run throughout 2026, following earlier shipments already made in 2025 for previous phases of the same corridor. ERG International, responsible for the full engineering, procurement, construction and financing package on behalf of the Turkish government, will hand the finished line to state operator TCDD (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları) upon commissioning.

Scunthorpe back on 24/7 footing

The contract has had a tangible industrial effect in northern England. For the first time in more than ten years, British Steel's Scunthorpe rolling mill is running continuous, round-the-clock operations, creating 23 new roles in the process.

Craig Harvey, British Steel's Commercial Director for Rail, described the agreement as "the catalyst" for restarting 24/7 manufacturing. Chief Commercial Officer Lisa Coulson acknowledged that 2025 had been a challenging period for the company — British Steel had also secured a separate £500m contract to supply Network Rail in the UK — but said the firm was "looking to the future with optimism" following a series of major wins.

The Ankara–Izmir corridor: 599 km at 250 km/h

The new high-speed line will run from the Turkish capital Ankara to the Aegean port city of Izmir, passing through Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya, Uşak and Manisa, covering 599 km in total. Designed for a top speed of 250 km/h and built in four phases since construction began in August 2022, the line is scheduled to open in 2027.

Once operational, the route is expected to cut journey times between the two cities by more than ten hours compared with existing options. The project is structured as a green financing instrument — aligned with the Green Loan Principles — with the goal of shifting passenger and freight flows away from air and road to electrified rail.

Prior contract: Adana–Gaziantep

British Steel is no stranger to Turkey's expanding high-speed network. In 2024, the company supplied rail for the 286 km electrified line under construction between Adana and Gaziantep: 60E1 profile rail, manufactured to grade R260, 60.2 kg/m, also delivered in 36-metre lengths. That earlier contract established the supply-chain relationship and logistics framework that facilitated the current, larger agreement.