České dráhy, a.s. Rotten Score Breakdown

The Czech Office for the Protection of Competition imposed a final CZK 254 million fine on České dráhy for abusing dominance in bulk rail-freight transport from January 2004 through November 2007. The authority found that České dráhy applied unjustifiably different prices and margins to customers receiving comparable services, disadvantaging some customers and making market entry more difficult for competing freight operators. The second-instance decision of 6 May 2009 made the sanction final. Source: https://uohs.gov.cz/cs/informacni-centrum/tiskove-zpravy/hospodarska-soutez/930-pokuta-pro-ceske-drahy-je-pravomocna-a-v-oblasti-zneuziti-dominantniho-postaveni-rekordni.html

The European Commission found that České dráhy and Austrian Federal Railways coordinated to restrict RegioJet's access to used passenger coaches, limiting a key input needed by a new competitor in long-distance passenger rail. According to the Commission decision, the infringement ran from 9 May 2012 to 21 January 2016 and involved a gentleman's agreement concerning principles for sales of surplus coaches to competitors. The Commission imposed a EUR 31.94 million fine on České dráhy in October 2024. Litigation concerning the Commission decision continued before the EU courts in 2025, so this record is marked unresolved. Sources: https://competition-policy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/transport/latest-news_en and https://juris.curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?docid=307487

The Czech competition authority found that České dráhy abused its dominant position by using predatory pricing in tenders for long-distance passenger rail services on the Plzeň–Most and Pardubice–Liberec routes. The authority concluded that bids were set at levels that did not cover avoidable costs, foreclosing competitors during railway liberalisation. A final second-instance fine of CZK 274,797,000 was imposed in August 2019. ÚOHS later reported that the Supreme Administrative Court definitively confirmed the authority's decision in 2024. Sources: https://uohs.gov.cz/cs/informacni-centrum/tiskove-zpravy/hospodarska-soutez/2650-definitivni-pokuta-pro-ceske-drahy-za-narusovani-liberalizace-cini-temer-275-milionu-korun.html and https://uohs.gov.cz/cs/hospodarska-soutez/zneuziti-dominantniho-postaveni/vyznamna-rozhodnuti-v-oblasti-zneuziti-dominantniho-postaveni.html