Turkish state railways (TCDD) has signed a €340 million ($420 million) contract for ten high-speed trains with German industrial conglomerate Siemens, Turkish state news agency Anadolu said.

The contract, which will bring Turkey’s fleet of Velaro high-speed trains up to 17, will include maintenance, repair and cleaning for three years.

"In Turkey, the train can fully utilize all its strengths and is already proving this in daily operation," Siemens mobility division head Sabrina Soussan said.

"Our flagship is running here with 99-percent availability."

Turkey has been upgrading its ailing rail network to allow for high-speed travel over recent years: since 2009, high-speed links have opened from Ankara to Istanbul and Ankara to Konya.

Lines from Ankara to Izmir and Ankara to Sivas are presently under construction.