All Latvia articles
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NewsWreath of European plants tops out Riga Central station
LATVIA: A Rail Baltica and Europe-themed wreath formed the centrepiece of the topping out ceremony for the new station building at Riga Central. The station is being extensively remodelled to improve facilities for services on the existing broad gauge network as well as accommodating the Rail ...
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NewsLithuanian rail operator pilots ‘competitive green logistics’ in the three Baltic States
EUROPE: Lithuania’s LTG Cargo has operated a pilot freight train through Latvia to Valga, the first station in Estonia. On February 23 CEO Eglė Šimė said LTG Cargo plans to start offering ‘competitive green logistics services’ in the three countries in the near future, as a ...
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NewsBoard of Latvian operator quits over problems with new trains
LATVIA: The supervisory board of national passenger operator Pasažieru Vilciens, now branded Vivi, resigned at the end of January, saying they lacked the powers needed to address disruption resulting from faults with new trains. Sandis Šteins had headed the board since 2016, and resigned along with ...
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NewsVilnius – Riga passenger train launch date confirmed
EUROPE: Lithuanian passenger operator LTG Link has opened ticket sales for its Vilnius – Riga service, which is set to launch on December 27. The daily service will leave Vilnius at 06.30 and arrive in the Latvian capital at 10.43. The return ...
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NewsLatvian operator rebrands as Škoda EMUs enter service
LATVIA: Passenger operator Pasažieru Vilcien, now rebranding as Vivi, has put its first Škoda Class 16EV electric multiple-units into passenger service. ‘We are taking a big step forward in the development of train travel and we continue to work to ensure that more and more passengers ...
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NewsVilnius – Riga passenger train to launch in December
EUROPE: Lithuanian passenger operator LTG Link expects to launch a through service from Vilnius to Riga in Latvia in December, filling a gap in the European passenger rail network. A track access agreement has been signed with the Latvian infrastructure manager, Latvian speaking drivers have been ...
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Metro Report InternationalLocally-assembled tram unveiled in Daugavpils
LATVIA: The first two of four trams being assembled at the Daugavpils Locomotive Repair Plant using components supplied by Czech company Pragoimex was unveiled in the city on October 17. The trams are based on Pragoimex’s EVO1 model. The remaining two vehicles are due to be ...
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NewsRail Baltica Academy to provide project insights for all
EUROPE: The Rail Baltica Academy is to hold its third series of online public lectures from May 22, aiming to provide a broad audience including industry professionals, policymakers, students and future users with insights gained from the cross-border standard gauge line project. The lecture programme is ...
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NewsBaltic States discuss Vilnius – Riga – Tallinn passenger service and gauge conversion
EUROPE: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are to explore options to launch a passenger service between their capitals using existing 1 520 mm gauge railways, ahead of the completion of the future Rail Baltica 1 435 mm gauge line. The lack of through services between the Baltic ...
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News€353m Rail Baltica grant agreement signed
EUROPE: A grant agreement which will see the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility provide €353·9m for the Rail Baltica project has been signed by the European Climate, Infrastructure & Environment Executive Agency, ministries from the three countries and tri-national implementation agency RB Rail. This will fund the ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrams to be produced in Latvia
LATVIA: The municipal transport operator in Daugavpils has awarded Daugavpils Locomotive Repair Plant a €7·4m+VAT contract to supply four new fully low-floor four-axle trams by the end of 2023.
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In depthViewpoint: Institutional fragmentation has undermined Rail Baltica
On paper Rail Baltica is a perfect match for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. But three issues need to be addressed, argues Kaspars Briškens, who recently stepped down as Head of Strategy & Development at the standard gauge railway project.
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Metro Report InternationalTram for Latvia highlights Croatian capabilities
INNOTRANS: One of the TMK 2300 LT low-floor trams which Croatian manufacturer Končar is supplying to Liepāja was displayed at InnoTrans before delivery to Latvia. The metre-gauge TMK 2300 LT is a development of the TMK 2200 trams supplied to Zagreb, and ...
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NewsAmber Train links the Baltic States to western Europe
EUROPE: A trial Amber Train service between the Baltic States left the Estonian port of Muuga on September 13, arriving the following day at Kaunas in Lithuanian where its load of semi-trailers was transferred to 1 435 mm gauge wagons for onward transport to destinations including ...
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NewsRail Baltica shadow operator appointed
EUROPE: A joint venture of the German national railway’s DB Engineering & Consulting business, Spanish national operator RENFE Operadora and consultancy Ineco is to act as shadow operator for the Rail Baltica project. The €8m contract was signed by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail and ...
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NewsRail Baltica freight terminal design contract awarded
LATVIA: A joint venture of local company BRD Projekts and Italian firm Sintagma has been awarded a contract for detailed technical design of the Salaspils intermodal terminal to be served by Rail Baltica. The terminal near Rīga will have 1 520 and ...
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NewsRail Baltica electrification procurement begins
EUROPE: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has begun procurement of the electrification systems for the future standard gauge line between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, saying it will be the largest railway electrification scheme in Europe to be implemented as a single project. The energy ...
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NewsBusiness opportunities as Rail Baltica looks 150 years ahead
EUROPE: ‘What will this look like in 150 years?’ is a question being asked by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail, which sees the greenfield construction project as offering opportunities to take a very long-term view of where rail technology is heading, and to apply best ...
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NewsInvasion of Ukraine ‘has increased the geopolitical relevance of Rail Baltica’
EUROPE: ‘The Russian invasion of Ukraine reaffirms the need to connect the Baltic states to the rest of Europe’, said Catherine Trautmann, the European Commission’s co-ordinator for the North Sea – Baltic TEN-T corridor, on April 13, when Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail set out ...
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NewsLatvian electric train unveiled
LATVIA: ‘These trains are bringing to Latvia a new standard of quality’, said Rodžers Jānis Grigulis, CEO of national passenger operator Pasažier Vilciens, at the unveiling of the first of 32 four-car electric multiple-units ordered from Škoda Transportation. The EMU was unveiled at the factory in ...