The Canadian pension funds that own Britain’s HS1 high-speed railway between London and the Channel tunnel have sold to a consortium of UK and foreign investors.

Borealis and Ontario Teachers, which paid £2.1bn for the HS1 concession from the UK government when the line was privatised in 2010, have sold the remainder of the 30-year lease in a deal valued at £3bn, including HS1’s debt.

The new owners include InfraRed, on behalf of investors including South Korea’s national pension fund, along with the London-listed HICL Infrastructure and Equitix, another investment fund.

HS1 operates and maintains the track and infrastructure on the 67-mile high-speed rail line between London St Pancras International station and the Channel tunnel, including the four stations served by the route. The high-speed passenger railway carries Southeastern commuter services as well as Eurostar trains, used by about 20 million passengers a year.

Ontario Teachers said it remained committed to the UK “as an attractive destination for future investment”.

The pension funds have been looking to sell since last year, with HS1 seen as a low-risk asset for infrastructure investors.

Ben Loomes, the head of infrastructure at InfraRed, said it was “very pleased to be investing in a strategically important and core UK infrastructure asset”.