Deutsche Bahn said in a statement that it was seeking damages in a Frankfurt court over alleged price deals among members of a “track cartel” in the sale of tracks to the rail company, but it did not give a figure.

A report in Thursday’s Süddeutsche Zeitung said the amount was about €750

million.

Gerd Becht, of Deutsche Bahn, said in the statement that the company had “appealed to the understanding” of the cartel members over the past months to reach an agreement but had seen “no constructive cooperation” towards an accord.

As well as ThyssenKrupp, which alongside steel also makes elevators, industrial plant technology, submarines and car parts, the case involves Moravia Steel, Vossloh and the former owner of a Vossloh subsidiary Stahlberg Rönsch.

In July, German anti-trust authorities fined companies involved in a rail cartel investigation including ThyssenKrupp nearly €125 million.

The fines related to a probe into whether manufacturers made cartel agreements on the supply of rail to Deutsche Bahn, to the detriment of the railway company, the Federal Cartel Office said.

AFP/bk