NAO: Eurostar sale “value for money”

The UK Government’s sale of its financial interest in Channel Tunnel passenger operator Eurostar generated proceeds of £757.1 million and represented value for money, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).

However, the NAO also says that the timing of the sale was “primarily driven by the desire to sell prior to the 2015 election”. Eurostar profits are expected to rise from next year as the new Siemens e320 trains enter service, and the NAO says the Government believed delaying the sale would “come with uncertainty and risks”.

• For more on this, read RAIL 788, published on November 25.