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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| M6 Toll motorway put up for sale | M6 Toll motorway put up for sale |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The M6 Toll road has been put for sale for nearly £2bn, the BBC understands. | The M6 Toll road has been put for sale for nearly £2bn, the BBC understands. |
| The 27-mile route between Cannock and Coleshill in the West Midlands opened in 2003 at a cost of £900m to build. | |
| A debt-restructuring process led to a consortium of 27 banks effectively taking ownership of the loss-making road from Midlands Expressway Ltd. It is now selling its equity stake. | |
| Despite the toll road losing money each year, it is thought the banks want to recover about £1.9bn from the sale. | Despite the toll road losing money each year, it is thought the banks want to recover about £1.9bn from the sale. |
| Haulier Mark Matthias, from TJR Express, said: "I use a lot of French tolls and I've never understood the 'one cost' here. It should be charged per mile. | Haulier Mark Matthias, from TJR Express, said: "I use a lot of French tolls and I've never understood the 'one cost' here. It should be charged per mile. |
| "In the evenings, Spanish tolls let all trucks go for €1. It (M6 Toll) would make more money if they reduced the price. There aren't enough concessions for truckers." | "In the evenings, Spanish tolls let all trucks go for €1. It (M6 Toll) would make more money if they reduced the price. There aren't enough concessions for truckers." |
| 'Reduce congestion' | 'Reduce congestion' |
| The National Alliance Against Tolls believes the government should buy the motorway and remove the charge to reduce congestion. | |
| Bridget Fox from Campaign for Better Transport said: "The M6 Toll has proved a costly failure and [provided] no relief of congestion on the main M6, as well as negative impacts on the environment. | |
| "We need better public transport for inter-city routes so people have real alternatives when it comes to travelling into our crowded town and city centres." | |
| Councillor Darren Cooper, a West Midlands Combined Authority representative, believes the charge should be removed and is proposing to seek government support to buy the motorway stretch. | Councillor Darren Cooper, a West Midlands Combined Authority representative, believes the charge should be removed and is proposing to seek government support to buy the motorway stretch. |
| Latest figures show an average of 52,735 vehicles used the road per week day between October and December last year, compared with 45,890 in 2014. | |
| Car drivers are charged £5.50 and HGVs £11 to use the road during the week. | |
| Analysis: BBC Midlands Today Transport Correspondent Peter Plisner | Analysis: BBC Midlands Today Transport Correspondent Peter Plisner |
| The reason they're selling now is quite interesting. They seem to think now that the asset value is at its highest. | The reason they're selling now is quite interesting. They seem to think now that the asset value is at its highest. |
| And the number of people using the road is at an all-time high and that brings in revenue. The interest payments on the debts are lower than they've ever been and that will affect this road's profitability. | And the number of people using the road is at an all-time high and that brings in revenue. The interest payments on the debts are lower than they've ever been and that will affect this road's profitability. |
| It has always lost money - £25m on average each year. But we're going to see a difference when we see the next accounts because of all these changes. And that leads the 27 banks to decide to sell now. |