Office for Protection of Competition fines six companies 157 million crowns for railway ‘cartels’

The Czech Office for the Protection of Competition has fined six companies a total of 157.7 million crowns for a series of ‘cartel’ agreements in contracts relating to repairs, modifications or modernisation of signaling and security equipment at level crossings and in railway stations. The office announced this in a press release on Wednesday.

The agreements worked by submitting a cover, i.e. less advantageous, bid for the contract in order to prevent its cancellation. Two of the six companies filed an appeal against the imposed fine, but all of them agreed to a settlement, admitted their actions and thus achieved a 20% reduction in the fine.