SYDNEY, March 15 (Reuters) - Australia's Qube Holdings Ltd
QUB.AX said it has joined Canada's Brookfield Asset Management
Inc BAMa.TO and international partners to make a A$9.1 billion
($6.8 billion) bid for ports and rail freight company Asciano
Ltd AIO.AX .
The freight handler said in a statement on Tuesday it had
terminated a previous stand-alone bid and replaced it with a
joint offer with Brookfield and the Qatar Investment Authority
for the Australian firm's port business.
Asciano's rail freight unit would go to China Investment
Corp CIC.UL , the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board,
British Columbia Investment Management Corp, and U.S. private
equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners, Qube added.
The Asciano board supported the new bid and would recommend
shareholders voted for it, Qube said.
Qube planned to raise A$800 million in an equity raising to
pay for the purchase.
($1 = 1.3308 Australian dollars)