Abellio sells 40 percent stake in UK train contract to Japan's Mitsui

LONDON (Reuters) - Dutch state-owned public transport firm Abellio has sold a 40 percent stake in its UK train operator in eastern England to Mitsui & Co. , making the Japanese company the latest foreign firm to invest in Britain's rail network.

Abellio said on Tuesday that Mitsui would become the minority partner in its Greater Anglia franchise, which it has operated since 2012, and which the British government renewed last year for the period to 2025.

The deal follows the entry of Italy's Trenitalia into the UK rail network earlier this month to run services between London and commuter towns in Essex after UK-based operator National Express (NEX.L) decided to sell up.

Britain privatised its rail services in the 1990s, and the network is now run by several UK-listed transport companies as well as foreign rail groups including Germany's Deutsche Bahn and Keolis, majority-owned by France's SNCF.

Abellio said the deal with Mitsui, a group with interests in infrastructure, transport and energy, was notable for marking the first time a Japanese company has become a shareholder in a British train services operating company.

(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Greg Mahlich)