British Steel secures major Turkish rail contract

The steelworks in Scunthorpe will produce rail lines for a new route in southern Turkey

British Steel has secured a deal to supply rail for a new high-speed railway in Turkey, the company has confirmed.

The contract will see "tens of thousands of tonnes" of track produced in Scunthorpe to connect the port of Mersin with the cities of Adana, Osmaniye and Gaziantep.

In April, British Steel announced it would supply rail for a new route between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea in Egypt.

British Steel president and chief executive Xijun Cao said he was "delighted" to be awarded the contract.

"We look forward to supplying this project with the world-leading rail synonymous with the British Steel name," he added.

According to the company, the new 177-mile (286km) route will connect Turkey's second-largest container port with cities more than 150 miles away and cut CO2 emissions by 150,000 tonnes a year.

Two shipments are due to be transported from British Steel to Turkey over the next couple of months.

It comes after the firm was given planning permission to build a new electric arc furnace in North Lincolnshire despite union concerns it could put 2,000 jobs at risk.

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