10/11/2016 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 10 November, the European Commission announced that it had opened an in-depth investigation to determine whether the Czech railway operator České dráhy applied prices lower than actual costs in order to block competition in passenger rail transport services. České dráhy is the largest rail operator in the Czech Republic and, up until 2011, the only one operating on the Prague-Ostrava route. After two new competitors entered the market on this line, České dráhy drastically cut its passenger prices on the route. The Commission explains that it understands that this strong competition on the basis of price benefits passengers, but it fears that České dráhy applied such low prices that they did not cover the costs of the services provided. Practices of this kind can remove competitors from the market to the detriment of passengers. Following a complaint, the Commission carried out inspection in České dráhy's offices in April 2016. (EL)