Two-thirds of Britain^s trains are set to change hands for a total of about ^4 billion as banks seek to raise further capital by selling assets (links below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/10/abbey_and_hsbc_rail_set_to_off.html#morehttp://railwayeye.blogspot.com/2008/10/foreign-rail.htmlAbbey, owned by Spain^s Santander, is poised to sell its train-leasing arm Porterbrook to Deutsche Bank in a ^2 billion deal that could be announced as early as this week.
HSBC Rail could also be sold in another ^2 billion deal, after its parent company, HSBC, appointed two sets of advisers to auction it. The deal will be handled by NM Rothschild, the investment bank, and HSBC^s own investment-banking arm.
Porterbrook has a fleet of 5,500 vehicles, including electric and diesel locomotives, high-speed trains, and freight wagons. It leases trains to 17 of the 24
UK▸ train operators.
HSBC Rail has more than 4,000 vehicles, including the inter-city trains used by National Express on the east coast mainline between London and Edinburgh.
Britain^s remaining 4,500 trains are owned by Angel Trains, sold this year by Royal Bank of Scotland to the Australian investment bank Babcock & Brown for ^3.6 billion.