British Steel has secured a major new contract with Infrabel, Belgium’s national railway operator.
The four-year agreement is for the maintenance and renewal of the country's rail network and will see the Scunthorpe business supply between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes of track a year – more than 3,000km.
Deliveries are scheduled to start in January.
Richard Bell, British Steel’s commercial director for rail, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this contract and look forward to working in partnership with Infrabel over the next four years.
The signing, pictured right, with Luc Vansteenkiste, director of asset management, with Infrabel, watched by Ron Deelen, British Steel’s chief marketing officer, follows a two-year contract extension with Network Rail, the company operating and maintaining the UK’s rail infrastructure.
Mr Bell said: “We’ve an excellent tradition of working with national operators such as Infrabel, Network Rail and SNCF who are all benefiting from our products and services.
The steel for the rails will be manufactured in Scunthorpe before being transported to the company’s state-of-the art rail rolling facility in Hayange, France. A shuttle service will then deliver train loads of the rail direct to Infrabel’s welding plants in varying lengths, including 100 metres.
A spokesman for Infrabel said: “This contract, awarded by Infrabel in accordance with the public procurement legislation, is a strategic component of our Infrastructure, especially the rail.
“The quality of the product, the security of the supply chain and the reliability of the partners are crucial during the execution of the contract.