Cargo railways fined for antitrust offences
The European Commission has fined rail companies ÖBB, DB and SNCB a total of EUR 48 million for breaching EU antitrust rules.
The companies participated in a customer allocation cartel, which concerned cross-border rail cargo transport services, conducted by their freight affiliates on block trains on key rail corridors in the EU.
The Commission's investigation revealed that the three railway companies coordinated by exchanging collusive information on customer requests for competitive offers and provided each other with higher quotes to protect their respective business.
The anti-competitive conduct lasted from 8 December 2008 to 30 April 2014, with SNCB participating only since 15 November 2011. The three companies admitted their involvement in the cartel and agreed to settle the case. (ben)
https://ec.europa.eu/competition