Latvia: New electric trains not running before November 2023

New electric trains in Latvia will not start carrying passengers before November 2023, state-owned passenger train operator Pasazieru Vilciens (PV) announced, LSM reports. Initially, the trains were supposed to be running in January 2023. Representatives of Czechia’s Skoda Group explained that the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine had disrupted the production and delivery of the trains. The company estimated that the first trains would be running in October 2023. Latvia risks losing EU co-financing for the investment if the trains are not delivered on time. PV’s CEO, Rodzers Janis Grigulis, said that the company would demand that Skoda pay a penalty for the delay. Under the current timetable, the penalty could amount to more than EUR 16mn.