Brookfield has approached Australian rail and port operator Asciano Ltd. with a A$6.8 billion (US$5.1 billion) takeover bid.

According to sources, Asciano has received an offer with an implied value of A$9.05 a share from Brookfield's listed fund Brookfield Infrastructure Partners. The offer values the ASX 50 company at A$8.8 billion (US$6.6 billion).

The potential deal, which follows the A$6.5 billion (US$4.88 billion) acquisition of Asciano's Toll Holdings by Japan Post, would be the seventh-largest inbound takeover of an Australian company.

Asciano Limited, with over 8,000 employees, provides ports and rail freight services in Australia. It operates through four segments:

• Pacific National Coal,
• Pacific National Rail,
• Terminals & Logistics, and
• Bulk & Automotive Port Services.

Brookfield currently has a rail network of roughly 5,500 km in the state of Western Australia. During this year, the firm and its consortium partners acquired oil and gas firm Apache Corp's exploration and production businesses in Australia.