--- title: British Steel starts 24-7 rail operations after securing major new high-speed deal for Türkiye description: British Steel secures a major deal to supply rails for Türkiye's high-speed railway, boosting operations and creating new jobs. The project will drastically reduce travel times and carbon emissions. image: https://thecea.org.uk/hubfs/Melike%20Erdem%2c%20CEO%20ERG%20International%20UK%2c%20and%20Craig%20Harvey%2c%20British%20Steel%20Commercial%20Director%2c%20Rail.%20at%20the%20contract%20signing.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-starts-24-7-rail-operations-after-securing-major-new-high-speed-deal-for-t%C3%BCrkiye#main-content) ![CEA_Master_Roundel+Title_Reversed_Bright](https://thecea.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/CEA_Master_Roundel+Title_Reversed_Bright.png?width=3390&height=1817&name=CEA_Master_Roundel+Title_Reversed_Bright.png) - [Home](https://thecea.org.uk) - [About](https://thecea.org.uk/about) Show submenu for About - [Governance](https://thecea.org.uk/governance) - [Meet the Team](https://thecea.org.uk/meet-the-team) - [CESAR Scheme](https://thecea.org.uk/cesar-scheme) Show submenu for CESAR Scheme - [NCATT](https://thecea.org.uk/ncatt) - [Membership](https://thecea.org.uk/cea-membership) Show submenu for Membership - 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[UK Events](https://thecea.org.uk/uk-construction-equipment-events) - [International Events](https://thecea.org.uk/international-construction-equipment-events) - [Members' Forum](https://thecea.org.uk/members-forum) Show submenu for Members' Forum - [Members' Forum Documents](https://thecea.org.uk/members-forum-documents) - [UK Pavilion at bauma Munich 2028](https://thecea.org.uk/bauma-munich-2028) - [Benefits](https://thecea.org.uk/business-benefits) Show submenu for Benefits - [Enginuity](https://thecea.org.uk/enginuity) - [Robinson Grace HR](https://thecea.org.uk/robinson-grace-hr-consultancy-partner) - [Cranfield School of Management](https://thecea.org.uk/cranfield-school-of-management) - [WorkForce](https://thecea.org.uk/workforce) - [globalbridge](https://thecea.org.uk/connecting-talent-and-opportunity-with-gb) - [ELITE Consultancy Network](https://thecea.org.uk/elite-consultancynetwork) [ All posts ](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/all) February 17, 2026 # British Steel starts 24-7 rail operations after securing major new high-speed deal for Türkiye   Louise Carney  ·  2 minute read British Steel has secured a new order worth tens of millions of pounds for a major high-speed electric railway in Türkiye. The 8-figure agreement, supported by UK Export Finance, will see British Steel supply 36,000 tonnes of rail to ERG International Group for a 599km line between Ankara and İzmir. The project will significantly cut rail travel times between the Turkish capital and the port city, while also reducing carbon emissions. The contract has created 23 new roles and has seen the business move to 24-7 rail manufacturing operations for the first time in over a decade. British Steel Chief Commercial Officer, Lisa Coulson, said: “Securing this prestigious contract – with the support of UK Export Finance – 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 Türkiye, reducing rail travel time between Ankara and İzmir by more than 10 hours. Not only will this provide passengers and freight operators with a faster and more efficient rail service, but it will also 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 Türkiye’s government. Once commissioned, the line will be operated by the Turkish State Railways. British Steel’s Commercial Director, Rail, Craig Harvey, said: “We have a distinguished record of supplying into high-speed rail projects across the world and have previously delivered rail into Türkiye 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. “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 36 metre 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.” CEO of ERG International UK, Melike Erdem, 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.” Chief Commercial Officer of ERG International UK, Mohamed Ibrahim, said: “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.” *Viki Bell, CEO of the Construction Equipment Association (CEA), said: “This is a strong result for British Steel and a great example of UK manufacturing delivering on the international stage. Securing a contract of this scale shows the confidence global partners have in British capability, quality and reliability. It also underlines the importance of having a strong domestic supply chain, supporting skilled jobs and keeping UK engineering at the heart of major infrastructure projects around the world.”* *Melike Erdem, CEO ERG International UK, and Craig Harvey, British Steel Commercial Director, Rail, signing the supply agreement. 👇* *![Melike Erdem, CEO ERG International UK, and Craig Harvey, British Steel Commercial Director, Rail. at the contract signing](https://thecea.org.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Melike%20Erdem%2c%20CEO%20ERG%20International%20UK%2c%20and%20Craig%20Harvey%2c%20British%20Steel%20Commercial%20Director%2c%20Rail.%20at%20the%20contract%20signing.jpg?width=5268&height=3512&name=Melike%20Erdem%2c%20CEO%20ERG%20International%20UK%2c%20and%20Craig%20Harvey%2c%20British%20Steel%20Commercial%20Director%2c%20Rail.%20at%20the%20contract%20signing.jpg)*   Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-starts-24-7-rail-operations-after-securing-major-new-high-speed-deal-for-türkiye) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-starts-24-7-rail-operations-after-securing-major-new-high-speed-deal-for-türkiye) [twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-starts-24-7-rail-operations-after-securing-major-new-high-speed-deal-for-türkiye) ## Related posts [![](https://thecea.org.uk/hubfs/British%20Steel%20is%20recruiting%20over%20180%20employees.jpg) ](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-secures-500-million-supply-contract-with-network-rail) #### [British Steel secures £500-million supply contract with Network Rail](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-secures-500-million-supply-contract-with-network-rail) [![](https://thecea.org.uk/hubfs/XW5-R%20RCI%20Home%20Screen.png) ](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/xwatch-launches-xw5-r-raising-the-bar-for-rail-safety-systems) #### [Xwatch launches XW5-R – raising the bar for rail safety systems](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/xwatch-launches-xw5-r-raising-the-bar-for-rail-safety-systems) [![](https://thecea.org.uk/hubfs/Machine%20on%20S-Bolster%205.jpeg) ](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/new-develon-dx140lcr-7-crawler-excavator-used-to-prove-new-greener-transport-by-rail-for-europe) #### [New Develon DX140LCR-7 Crawler Excavator Used to Prove New Greener Transport by Rail for Europe](https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/new-develon-dx140lcr-7-crawler-excavator-used-to-prove-new-greener-transport-by-rail-for-europe) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Louise Carney", "url" : "https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/author/louise-carney" }, "dateModified" : "2026-02-17T22:00:00.723Z", "datePublished" : "2026-02-17T22:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "British Steel starts 24-7 rail operations after securing major new high-speed deal for Türkiye", "image" : [ "https://thecea.org.uk/hubfs/Melike%20Erdem%2c%20CEO%20ERG%20International%20UK%2c%20and%20Craig%20Harvey%2c%20British%20Steel%20Commercial%20Director%2c%20Rail.%20at%20the%20contract%20signing.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://thecea.org.uk/member-news/british-steel-starts-24-7-rail-operations-after-securing-major-new-high-speed-deal-for-türkiye", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://thecea.org.uk/hubfs/Logos/CEA_Master_Roundel+Title_TwoCol.png" }, "name" : "Construction Equipment Association" } } ```