Australian investment firm buys UK’s M6 toll road

Australian investment firm IFM, which co-owns Manchester Airport and Anglian Water, has bought the UK’s M6 toll road, reports the BBC.
June 16, 2017 Read time: 1 min

Australian investment firm IFM, which co-owns Manchester Airport and Anglian Water, has bought the UK’s M6 toll road, reports the BBC.

The 27-mile motorway opened in December 2003 to ease congestion on the M6 and roads around north Birmingham, but has always lost money, with drivers saying it is too expensive to use regularly.

It was originally owned by Australian bank Macquarie before it was bought by a group of 27 banks in December 2013. It was put up for sale for nearly £2 billion last year.

Sources at IFM are said to have confirmed the sale but the investment group is yet to make any public comment.

Charging, Tolling & RUC

Related Content

  • April 25, 2013
    Upgrading Turkey's tolling system
    A programme modernising road tolling equipment on Turkey’s national highway network has resulted in what is arguably Europe’s most advanced toll system, reports Jon Masters. Turkey has introduced a new system of technology for charging for use of its 2000km national highway network, heralded as the first full-scale use of passive RFID tags for electronic open road tolling in Europe. The new ‘Fast Passing System’ (HGS) is an upgrade of Turkey’s existing Automatic Passing System (OGS) technology, which uses
    Read More
  • December 5, 2014
    Small toll agency adopts big city thinking
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a novel option for new toll road authorities. While somewhat politically controversial, outsourcing has gained traction in the business world as a model worth investigating for its efficiency and cost saving benefits. Lean start-ups tend to employ independent contractors instead of full-time employees in an effort to remain flexible and avoid costs associated with pensions, retirement places, health insurance, office space and benefit packages.
    Read More
  • April 11, 2014
    M25 becomes UK’s smartest motorway
    Final preparations are taking place for the M25 to become England’s first smart motorway, improving journeys and boosting the economy. Two sections of the motorway opening this month and next are between junctions 23 and 25 in Hertfordshire and between junctions 5 and 6/7 on the Kent/Surrey border. For the first time on a motorway scheme in England the hard shoulder will be used as a permanent traffic lane, with enhanced technology to manage traffic flow to improve the reliability of journey times.
    Read More
  • April 30, 2015
    Cable cars come of age in trans-continental expansion
    David Crawford explores a high-level option of public transport. Sharing its origin with that of ski lifts at winter sports resorts in the European Alps, urban aerial cable transport is attracting growing interest as a low-footprint, low-energy alternative to conventional public transport that can swoop over ground-level traffic congestion.
    Read More

Highlighted Content