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U.K.-based steel manufacturer British Steel has announced that it sealed a deal to supply railway tracks for a new high-speed electrified railway in Türkiye, prompting the company to restart round-the-clock rail production at its Scunthorpe plant for the first time in more than a decade.
The agreement, valued at tens of millions of pounds, covers the supply of rails for a planned 503-kilometer (312-mile) electrified railway linking Türkiye’s capital Ankara with the port city of Izmir.
The rails produced in Scunthorpe will be supplied to ERG International Group, which is overseeing construction of the railway on behalf of the Turkish government, company executives told the BBC.
Craig Harvey, British Steel’s commercial director for rail, said the agreement directly led to continuous production at the plant. "This contract has been the catalyst for us starting 24/7 rail manufacturing operations in Scunthorpe," Harvey said.
British Steel Chief Commercial Officer Lisa Coulson said securing the deal marked a turning point for the company. She acknowledged recent difficulties but said the company’s outlook had improved. "It had been a challenging time for the firm, but there was now a sense of moving forward," Coulson added, noting that British Steel is pursuing additional commercial agreements.
The contract follows a period of uncertainty for British Steel. In April, the U.K. government took control of the company’s Scunthorpe plant to prevent its closure.
The company later described 2025 as a difficult year but said its position strengthened after securing several large orders, including a £500 million ($678 million) contract to supply rail tracks for Network Rail in the United Kingdom.
The Ankara-Izmir High-Speed Train project, the foundation of which was laid in 2013, is being developed to link Türkiye’s capital with its western port hub through a high-capacity electrified railway corridor.
Once completed, the line is expected to support both passenger and freight transport, with projections estimating annual capacity of approximately 13.3 million passengers and 90 million tons of cargo.
The total project cost has reached ₺101.49 billion ($2.32 billion), with ₺15.71 billion allocated in the 2026 budget, as officials aim to complete the entire railway by 2027.
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