HC Deb 27 November 1996 vol 286 cc273-6W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the names of purchasers, prices paid and dates of sale for those companies previously owned by British Rail which have been sold, pursuant to the Railways Act 1993. [6885]

Mr. Watts

The table summarises sales of those companies previously owned by British Rail which have been sold pursuant to the Railways Act 1993. The table updates all sales announced previously. Where appropriate, gross proceeds are subject to post-completion adjustments.

In addition, the sale of Railtrack plc will realise gross proceeds of £1.93 billion. Including this, and dividends of some £800 million and £50 million paid before the sales of the rolling stock leasing companies and the BR infrastructure service companies respectively, total gross proceeds are £5.28 billion.

Company Purchaser Gross proceeds £ million Sale date
BR Infrastructure Services Design Offices
DCU Birmingham Ltd. Owen Williams Railways Ltd. (a subsidiary of Owen Williams Consulting Engineers) 1.0 25 July 1995
IDG Glasgow Ltd. Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick (a subsidiary of SWK Holdings) 0.6 18 August 1995
Mainline Swindon Ltd. Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick (a subsidiary of SWK Holdings) 18 August 1995
BPE Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Consultancy Ltd. James Scott BPE (a subsidiary of AMEC Group plc) *0.24 15 September 1995
Civil Engineering Design Group, York Ltd. British Steel plc *2.9 15 September 1995
CEDAC London Ltd. W S Atkins 3.6 15 December 1995
Powertrack Engineering Co. Ltd. W S Atkins 15 December 1995
BR Infrastructure Service Companies
Scotland Track Renewals Co. Ltd. Relayfast Ltd. (MBO funded by Hambro European Ventures Ltd.) *10.7 8 February 1996
Scotland Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. TrackAction Ltd. (MBO) *27.5 14 February 1996
Central Track Renewals Co. Ltd. Tarmac Construction Ltd. *2.9 29 February 1996
Western Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. Amey Railways Ltd. (MBO) *15 7 March 1996 (exchanged) 25 March 1996 (completed)
Eastern Track Renewals Co. Ltd. Fastline Rail Services Ltd. *11 15 March 1996

Company Purchaser Gross proceeds £ million Sale date
Eastern Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. Balfour Beatty Ltd. 1*29.7 2 April 1996
South East Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd Broomco (919) Ltd. (an MBO/Balfour Beatty joint venture) *20.3 2 April 1996
Southern Track Renewals Co. Ltd. Balfour Beatty Ltd. 2 April 1996
South West Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. AMEC plc *11 18 April 1996
Central Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. GT. Railway Maintenance Ltd. (a joint venture between GEC Alsthom Ltd. and Tarmac Construction Ltd.) *18.8 7 March 1996 (exchanged) 19 April 1996 (completed)
Northern Infrastructure Maintenance Co. Ltd. Jarvis plc 2*9 21 May 1996 (exchange) 18 June 1996 (completed)
Northern Track Renewals Co. Ltd. Fastline Group Ltd. *4.6 23 May 1996
Western Track Renewals Co. Ltd Relayfast Ltd. *8.5 23 July 1996
BR Maintenance Ltd
Swindon Electronics Service Centre Ltd. ABB Customer Support Services Ltd. *19.46 13 April 1995
Chart Leacon Rail Maintenance Ltd. ABB Customer Support Services Ltd. 5 June 1995
Doncaster Rail Maintenance Ltd. ABB Customer Support Services Ltd. 5 June 1995
Ilford Rail Maintenance Ltd. ABB Customer Support Services Ltd. 5 June 1995
Glasgow Rail Maintenance Ltd. Railcare (a joint venture of Babcock International Group plc and Siemens plc) *5.7 6 June 1995
Wolverton Rail Maintenance Ltd. Railcare (a joint venture of Babcock International Group plc and Siemens plc) 6 June 1995
Eastleigh Rail Maintenance Ltd. Wessex Traincare Ltd. (MBO) *7.15 7 June 1995
BR Central Services
Meldon Quarry Ltd. ECC Construction Materials Ltd. 4.5 February 1994
Special Trains Unit Waterman Railways 1.25 31 March 1995
Baileyfield Switch and Crossings Works VAE Baileyfield Ltd., (a subsidiary of VAE Aktiengesellschaft of Vienna) *1.13 7 July 1995
Ditton Timber Treatment Works PTG Holdings (a subsidiary of The Phoenix Timber Group plc) *0.47 1 September 1995
Quality and Safety Services Ltd. Ingleby (805) Ltd. (MBO) 0.32 10 November 1995
Company Purchaser Gross proceeds £million Sale date
Railways Occupational Health Ltd. Occupational Health Care plc 0.7 30 November 1995
Signalling Control UK Ltd. Westinghouse Brake and Signal Holdings Ltd. (a subsidiary of BTR) 39.5 1 December 1995
Interlogic Control Engineering Ltd. ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation (Signal) Ltd. 17.5 4 January 1996
Castleton (Long welded Rail and Track) Works British Steel plc 0.2 15 March 1996
The engineering link Ltd. MBO 1.0 19 March 1996
Interfleet Technology Ltd. Broomco (909) Ltd. (MBO) 0.69 22 March 1996
College of Railway Technology Ltd. Advicepart Ltd. (MBO) 0.6 29 March 1996
Network Train Engineering Services Ltd. W S Atkins (Consultants) Ltd. 0.8 1 April 1996
BR Projects Ltd. Addspice Ltd. (MBO) 1.25 26 June 1996
BR Freight and Parcels
Red Star Parcels Ltd. MBO 30 5 September 1995
Rail express systems Ltd. North and South Railways (consortium led by Wisconsin Central Ltd.) but now forms part of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway 24.2 9 December 1995
Transrail Freight Ltd. North and South Railways (consortium led by Wisconsin Central Ltd.) but now forms part of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway 225.15 24 February 1996
Mainline Freight Ltd. North and South Railways (consortium led by Wisconsin Central Ltd.) but now forms part of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway 24 February 1996
Loadhaul Ltd. North and South Railways (consortium led by Wisconsin Central Ltd.) but now forms part of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway 24 February 1996
Freightliner(1995) Ltd. MBO now known as Freightliners Ltd. 5.39 25 May 1996
Rolling Stock Leasing Companies
Porterbrook Leasing Co. Ltd. Consortium led by management team with funds managed by Charterhouse Development Capital *528 8 January 1996
Angel Train Contracts Ltd. GRS Holdings (including Prideaux and Associates, Babcock and Brown, and Nomura International) *696 17 January 1996

Company Purchaser Gross Proceeds £million Sale date
Eversholt Leasing Ltd. Eversholt Holdings, a consortium led by Candover Partners Ltd. together with the management team, and including Electra Fleming Ltd. and the Royal Bank of Scotland 4*598 2 February 1996
Other companies
OBS Services Ltd. European Rail Catering Company Ltd. (MBO) *11.15 3 October 1995
British Rail Telecommunications plc Racal Electronics plc *132.75 21 December 1995
1This figure includes deferred amounts.
2This figure includes deferred amounts.
3£2.25 million was made available to the purchaser to reflect movements in the value of fixed assets, reduced gross profits and other changes from the basis of his final bid.
4Includes £80 million deferred consideration in respect of Networker vehicles.

Details of the sales marked with an "*" have been previously announced.