High Speed 1

High Speed 1 – London and Kent, UK

High Speed 1 (HS1), officially known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a 67-mile high-speed railway that runs between London and the beginning of the Channel Tunnel in the UK.

The line was built to carry international passenger traffic between the United Kingdom and Continental Europe; additionally, it carries domestic passenger traffic to and from towns and cities in Kent and has the potential to carry Berne gauge freight traffic.

International passenger services are currently provided by Eurostar, with journey times of London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord in 2 hours 15 minutes.

The rail line was transferred to government ownership in 2009. In June 2010, the government owner solicited bids to operate and maintain HS1 over a 30-year concession period.

While with WestLB, Victoria Taylor performed credit analysis on the proposed transaction, negotiated key loan terms, and received credit approval to lend to the project.

type: infrastructure

Team Members: Victoria Taylor

Role: potential lender

contract duration: 2010 - 2011

WEBSITE: http://www.highspeed1.com/

Transaction Size: $2.1 billion