The government has confirmed it is selling its 40 per cent stake in Eurostar, raising around £760 million.
A consortium of British and Canadian investors won the six-month battle to buy the cross-channel operator, following the government’s decision to sell its stake last year.
Hermes Infrastructure, a division of the London-based institution, and Canadian pension fund Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec will pay £585.1 million and Eurostar will redeem the Government's preference share, raising a further £172m.
Chancellor George Osborne said the sale had fetched "far more than people expected we'd be able to sell it for".
He added: "This is a very good deal - it means we can cut the national debt, it means we can invest in our national infrastructure and it's fantastic value for British taxpayers. It's all part of our long-term plan to secure Britain's future."
Since Eurostar started in 1994 it has carried more than 150 million passengers and numbers have risen every year over the past decade.
Last month, Eurostar recorded growth in passenger numbers and sales revenues for 2014, helped by a rise in business travel bookings.
The cross-channel operator saw its passenger numbers rise by 3 per cent in last year compared to 2013 to 10.4 million, with sales revenues increasing 1 per cent to £867 million.
The number of Eurostar business travellers increased by 4 per cent compared with 2013.