Australian regulator questions takeover plan for coal railway

摘要

The Australian COMPETITION and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has intervened in the proposed AS12.0bn (USS8.8bn) takeover of dominant Newcastle rail operator Pacific National by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. The ACCC has "competition concerns" over the deal and has imposed a public consultation process that has already delayed finalisation, potentially by several months. Brookfield already operates the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal in Queensland, and market participants have raised "strong concerns about Brookfield's ability and incentive to favour Pacific National", which operates rail services to the terminal, the ACCC said.