Turkey has chosen British Steel as its supplier of rail for one of the country’s most significant new transport projects — the 599km high-speed line linking Ankara and İzmir. The contract with ERG International Group, worth tens of millions of pounds, will see 36,000 tonnes of rail produced at the Scunthorpe steelworks and shipped to Turkey for use on the new line.
The Ankara–İzmir railway represents a major leap forward for Turkish infrastructure, promising to slash travel times between the capital and the western Aegean coast while substantially reducing carbon emissions compared to road and air alternatives. British Steel’s involvement in this project aligns it with some of the most forward-looking transport investment happening anywhere in the world.
For Scunthorpe, the practical benefits are already being felt. Twenty-three new roles have been created, and the plant has resumed round-the-clock production for the first time in over a decade — a development that has been welcomed by workers, unions, and local officials alike. UK Export Finance supported the deal, helping British Steel navigate the complexities of international trade finance.
UK Steel’s director general described the contract as “essential to underpinning a sustainable turnaround,” while also calling on the government to do more to level the playing field for UK steel producers through energy cost support and stronger import protections. He emphasised that rail is a “strategically vital, high-value product” that plays a central role in British Steel’s commercial identity.
Nonetheless, the financial challenge has not been resolved. British Steel continues to lose £1.2 million per day, and since the government assumed emergency control following Jingye Group’s attempted withdrawal, the total bill has reached £359 million. The Turkish contract is a meaningful win, but British Steel needs far more of them — alongside structural reform — to secure its future.