A logo of Siemens is pictured on a building in Mexico City, Mexico, May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido

MUNICH (Reuters) - The chief executive of Siemens SIEGn.DE said partnerships on major rail contracts were a possible alternative to mergers, when asked about progress on reported talks for a rail tie-up with Canada's Bombardier BBDb.TO.

“You can work together like that too, it doesn’t always have to be a huge M&A issue,” Joe Kaeser told journalists on the sidelines of an event on Monday, declining to comment directly on talks with Bombardier.

Sources had told Reuters in April that talks about uniting the rail operations of Siemens and Bombardier were being complicated by the desire of both companies to keep control of a merged business.

Kaeser said rail technology companies had to consider how to respond to fierce competition in the sector but said neither Siemens nor its peers were under immediate pressure to act.