North Lincolnshire has received some rare good economic news, with British Steel announcing a multi-million pound contract to supply rail for a high-speed railway in Turkey that will directly create 23 new jobs and restart round-the-clock production at its Scunthorpe plant. The deal with ERG International Group covers 36,000 tonnes of rail for the 599km Ankara–İzmir line and has been described by the company as an “eight-figure agreement.”
The north Lincolnshire area has been closely watching developments at British Steel with considerable anxiety. The plant employs around 3,500 people, making it one of the largest employers in the region, and its continued operation is considered vital to the local economy. The Turkish contract provides tangible reassurance that there is international demand for what the plant produces.
The Ankara–İzmir railway is one of Turkey’s most high-profile transport projects, designed to connect the capital with the Aegean coast faster and more efficiently than existing alternatives. British Steel’s role in supplying rail for this project, supported by UK Export Finance, demonstrates the plant’s capacity to compete and deliver at the highest international level.
UK Steel has welcomed the deal and called on the government to support it with structural reforms — on energy costs and import safeguards — that would help British Steel and other UK steelmakers compete more effectively. The director general emphasised that individual export wins are essential but insufficient on their own to secure the sector’s long-term future.
At £1.2 million a day in losses, and with the government’s total bill now at £359 million, the financial pressures on British Steel remain intense. But for the workers of north Lincolnshire and their families, the Turkish deal represents something important: evidence that their plant can still win business, still create jobs, and still contribute to one of the world’s most exciting infrastructure projects.