The supervisory board of Latvia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), has appointed Raitis Nespors as the company’s new board chairman for a five-year term, LSM reports. Nespors served as member of Vivi’s management board in 2021-2024. Also, the supervisory board appointed Zane Abolina as a new member to Vivi’s board. Marcis Kaulins continues…
Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Eesti Liinirongid (Elron), plans to open a direct train connection between Tartu in southern Estonia and the Latvian capital, Riga, in summer 2025, BNS reports. Elron will soon begin test runs between Valga and Riga. CEO Lauri Betlem said that the authorisation of trains in Latvia had taken much longer…
Latvia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), has now received all 32 new electric trains from the Czech manufacturer, Skoda Vagonka, LETA reports. Initially, all trains were due to be delivered by the end of 2023. Raitis Nespors, acting board chairman of Vivi, conceded that the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine contributed…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has rejected a motion of no confidence submitted by the opposition National Alliance against Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens, LSM reports. Altogether 48 MPs voted against the motion, 43 in favour, and none abstained. The opposition’s criticism was related to problems at state-owned postal company Latvijas Pasts, national air carrier airBaltic,…
The number of passengers using train transport in Latvia totalled 8,989,953 in the first half of 2024, which was 767,317 (9.3%) more than in the same period of 2023, according to the country’s state-owned passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), LSM reported. Electric trains on suburban routes carried 8,024,544 passengers, which was 89% of the…
Czech company Skoda Vagonka pledges to deliver the remaining seven new electric trains to Latvia by the end of July 2024, LETA reports. The company assured that production was proceeding on schedule. Latvian passenger train operator Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi) has so far received 25 of the 32 new electric trains ordered from Skoda Vagonka. Vivi…
Members of the supervisory council of Latvia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), have resigned, LSM reports. The company has come under heavy criticism because of recurring problems with new electric trains delivered by the Czech manufacturer, Skoda Vagonka. Vivi’s council chairman, Sandis Steins, insisted that responsibility for the problems was beyond the council’s…
Defects in new electric trains of Latvia’s state-owned carrier, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), disrupted the daily commute of hundreds of passengers in the first week of 2024, LSM reported. The technical problems resulted in running cancellations and delays of many departures. Transport Minister Kaspars Briskens assured that most of the defects were “relatively trivial.” However, some…
Passenger rail service from Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, to the Latvian capital, Riga, could begin in the second half of 2025, according to Estonian passenger rail operator Elron, LETA reports. Latvia’s passenger train operator, Pasazieru Vilciens (Vivi), has proposed opening a rail link from Riga to Tartu in spring 2025. Latvia’s Transport Minister, Kaspars Briskens,…