04/03/2015

Government Sells Stake In Eurostar

The UK Government has agreed to sell its stake in high speed rail operator Eurostar for £757.1m.

Chancellor George Osborne, and the Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander, announced a consortium comprising of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Hermes Infrastructure has agreed to acquire government's 40% stake in Eurostar for £585.1m.

The sum exceeds expectations for the 40% stake when the government announced that it was inviting offers for its stake in October 2014.

Eurostar has, on closing of the sale of the government stake, agreed to redeem HMG's preference share, providing a further £172m for the exchequer.

Mr Osborne said: "It's great that we have reached an agreement to sell the UK's shareholding in Eurostar that delivers a fantastic deal for UK taxpayers that exceeds expectations.

"Investing in the best quality infrastructure for Britain, getting the best value for money for the taxpayer and tackling our country's debts are key parts of our long term economic plan, and in today's agreement, we are delivering on all three."

(CD/JP)

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