Network Rail stormed into the international bond markets in March with a deal worth almost £6.4bn (€9.7bn). Not only did it rank among the largest issues ever in the sterling debt market, but the company had to overcome negative sentiment linked to Railtrack, its predecessor, which went bankrupt in 2001.

The UK rail infrastructure operator's bond, launched via a host of investment banks, attracted widespread support from investors. It helped the not-for-profit company, which was set up to run the UK railway infrastructure following the demise of Railtrack, to raise more than half the capital it needs for the next five years.