CZECH REPUBLIC: A long-planned deal which would see national operator ČD sell 1 574 station buildings and related premises to infrastructure manager SŽDC was approved by the cabinet on December 21.
Transferring ownership of the stations to SŽDC would enable public and EU funding to be used for modernisation, with SŽDC planning to invest up to KC8·2bn in the stations over the next three years.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016. The initial estimated price was KC8bn, however an appraisal by PricewaterhouseCoopers has set the price at KC3·24bn and some members of the ČD supervisory board which still needs to approve the deal have claimed this is too low.
The European Commission confirmed in June that the transaction would not constitute illegal state aid.
- On January 6 the ČD supervisory board approved the KC235m sale of 10 000 m² of land at Praha Masarykovo station to investment group Penta which is planning an administrative and business development. A joint venture between ČD and Penta was set up in 2004 to redevelop the area around the terminus.
