RPT-Kapsch ordered to halt work on Czech highway toll

(Repeats story published late on Wednesday)

PRAGUE, Oct 11 (Reuters) - A Czech regional court has issued a preliminary order forcing Austria's Kapsch to immediately halt construction of a highway toll system in the Czech Republic, the presiding judge said on Wednesday.

Family-owned Kapsch has been building the electronic system for trucks over 12 tonnes on 2,100 km (1,300 miles) of roads and had been expected to launch it next year to help manage the large flow of truck traffic though the central European country.

Jaroslav Tesak at the Brno Regional Court told Reuters the court acted on a motion filed by Italy's Autostrade, which objected to a decision by antitrust authorities confirming Kapsch's victory in a Czech government tender.

Kapsch called the court's move "unusual" and said in a statement its lawyers were looking into the ruling to advise the company on what steps, if any, it should take.

Kapsch, along with France's APRR and Portugal's Brisa, offered to build and run the toll system for 640 million euros ($804.5 million).

The Kapsch-led consortium won the deal under the previous centre-left coalition government, which was replaced by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's administration after a June election.

Topolanek voiced concern that the court dispute could take years to solve, threatening to deprive the government of a source of revenue needed to upgrade the highway network.

"I firmly believe that there was (only) a technical fault ... and that the court will rule differently in the next instance," Topolanek told reporters after a government meeting.

The antitrust body threw out Autostrade's complaint earlier this year that the firm was unfairly eliminated from the tender.

"The court's decision shows that both the (Transport) ministry and firms in the Kapsch consortium acted in an illegal manner," said Autostrade Group director Piero Bergamini.

Other unsuccessful bidders in the original government tender were the Czech-Swiss Mytia consortium of Ascom, Fela, Damovo and ABD; and another Austrian firm A-Way with AZD.

Judge Tesak said the order halting the toll system construction would remain in place until a court has ruled on the matter. Court hearings are scheduled to begin on Oct. 17.

The Czechs had expected to collect 10 billion to 14 billion crowns ($446.2 million to $624.7 million) per year from the toll payments and cut the number of trucks driving through the central European country.

((Reporting by Marek Petrus

Editing by Louise Ireland and Sue Thomas,

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Keywords: TRANSPORT CZECH KAPSCH