British Steel will supply £35m ($45.7m) worth of rail products to Türkiye’s high-speed rail network under a newly announced contract.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the deal, which follows a previous contract of similar value for the railway line linking Mersin with Adana, Osmaniye, and Gaziantep in southern Türkiye.

The new contract is part of over £400m in export agreements announced by the British Prime Minister at the recently held G20 summit in Johannesburg.

British Steel 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.”

As part of his visit to Johannesburg, Sir Keir Starmer announced the inspection of a train depot where rolling stock manufactured in Derby is currently in operation.

During the visit, the Prime Minister also announced an agreement between the UK and South Africa that involves British technical expertise contributing to reforms within South Africa’s rail network.

Starmer 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 UK.”

Crossrail International, a UK Government-owned entity, will provide consultancy aimed at increasing private investment and developing freight and passenger rail capabilities in South Africa.

Separately, a partnership between the UK and Vietnam has been confirmed to support digital transformation across Vietnam’s railway infrastructure.

The arrangement involves the UK assisting Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction in implementing advanced technological solutions for rail networks.

This partnership builds on longstanding relationships between Crossrail International and the rail authorities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.