State-controlled Russian Railways had put up for sale its 75 percent stake in Freight One -- minus two shares -- as part of a long term sell off programme to raise cash for new infrastructure. Freight One owns about 21 percent of Russian rolling stock.
A source familiar with the results said steel magnate Lisin had won with a bid of nearly 126 billion roubles ($4.2 billion), slightly above the minimum bid level of 125.375 billion roubles.
"Lisin won at first bid," the source said.
The spokesman confirmed Lisin had won but would not comment on price.
Lisin, listed by Forbes magazine as Russia's richest man with a $24 billion fortune, was bidding via transport unit Universal Cargo Logistics Holding (UCLH)
His primary business is the steel miner NLMK.
His main rival for the auction was reported to have been mining supply group Transoil, controlled by Gennady Timchenko, a billionaire oil trader and longtime associate of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Russian Railways, Russia's biggest civil employer with a near one million strong workforce comparable in size to the armed forces, carries around 1.3 billion passengers a year across the world's biggest country.
Its cargo interests are widely viewed as a barometer for the Russian economy as a whole, as it transports the metals and other resources that are Russia's lifeblood.
Russian Railways raised $400 million from the initial public offering of cargo unit Transcontainer last November, and has government permission to sell 50 percent plus two shares in the $1 billion-rated company in 2012 or 2013. (Reuters)
