The European Commission has fined the Czech and Austrian national train operators a total of €48·7m for colluding to prevent new entrant RegioJet from acquiring second-hand rolling stock to support its growth in the Czech Republic and on the Praha – Wien route.
| Operator | Fine, € | Leniency reduction* |
|---|---|---|
| ÖBB | 16 712 000 | 45% |
| ČD | 31 940 000 | 0% |
| * ÖBB co-operated with the Commission and therefore received a reduction of 45%. | ||
ÖBB said ‘a line can now be drawn under the proceedings’. However, ČD said it disagreed with the decision, and claimed there had been unjustified delays, violations of its procedural rights and ‘a clear desire to punish someone after a very lengthy investigation’.
The Commission found that in 2012-16 the incumbents had colluded to enable coaches being sold by ÖBB to be bought by ČD instead of RegioJet, and to agree a buyer other than RegioJet for vehicles that ČD was not interested in. ÖBB and ČD also exchanged confidential information about interest from other bidders.