Transdev and Veolia aim to keep it a French affair

A merger of Veolia’s transport business with Transdev could see a new entry to the ‘Big Five’

Veolia already has a strong transport presence around, including regional rail services in the Netherlands

Veolia already has a strong transport presence around, including regional rail services in the Netherlands

International utilities conglomerate Veolia Environnement has entered into exclusive merger talks with Transdev that could lead to a merger of Veolia’s transport business with the French group.

The ‘Credit Crunch’ has hit Veolia hard, having accumulated debts of over $100m after a series of acquisitions earlier this decade after it was spun out of the Vivendi conglomerate in 2003, so selling its transport business would allow Veolia to concentrate on its core utilities...