UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will announce British Steel has secured a major new contract for Türkiye’s high-speed rail network.
The contract is to supply £35-million of British Steel’s world-class rail products. It is in addition to the similar sized agreement the company announced last year for the project connecting Mersin with the cities of Adana, Osmaniye, and Gaziantep in southern Turkey.
The new British Steel contract forms part of more than £400 million worth of export deals the Prime Minister is set to announce ahead of the G20 summit in Johannesburg where he will continue his campaign to open new opportunities for British companies.
The Prime Minister is expected to meet a string of Indo-Pacific and African leaders during the summit, as he continues to push for UK access to rapidly growing markets to benefit businesses up and down the United Kingdom.
The Prime Minister said: “Working with international partners to deliver jobs and opportunity at home is a one-way ticket to growth.
“The UK is a world leader in engineering, from steel welders in Scunthorpe to technicians in Derby, British workers are powering the world through their skill and profession.
“I am determined to open more doors for British businesses across the world so together we can drive growth, create highly skilled jobs to drive down the cost of living, and deliver opportunity to people across the United Kingdom.”
British Steel’s Chief Commercial Officer Lisa Coulson said: “We are proud to have already delivered £30m of our rail products into high-speed projects to help decarbonise travel in Türkiye and are delighted to be building upon this with a new supply agreement.
“Securing these prestigious contracts – 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.
“We’re extremely grateful for the UK government’s support and are confident our partnership with the operators of Türkiye’s rail infrastructure will shortly secure additional orders and create new jobs in Scunthorpe.”
The Prime Minister will visit a train depot in Johannesburg today, where he will see Derby-built trains in action, and announce a new agreement between the UK and South Africa to provide British expertise to help reform South Africa’s rail system.
Crossrail International – owned by the UK Government – will provide strategic advice and consultancy services to drive private investment into South African railways, maximise social, economic and environmental benefits, and bolster opportunities for British companies in both freight and passenger rail in South Africa.
Meanwhile, the UK and Vietnam have today announced a landmark partnership to drive a digital transformation across Vietnam’s railways. The initiative will see the UK support Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction in delivering high-tech, sustainable rail networks, allowing Vietnam to draw on the UK’s world-class experience and expertise in creating digital strategies that contributed to the success of the Elizabeth line project.
The agreement, building on long-term relationships between Crossrail International and the urban rail authorities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, will give UK consulting, engineering and finance firms a platform in one of Asia’s fastest-growing markets.