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,…
Latvia’s three-party coalition government remains stable, Prime Minister Evika Silina assured, LSM reports. Speaking in an interview with LTV, Silina said that the main issues facing the government included next year’s budget, tax reforms, funding for the Rail Baltica railway project, and the planned IPO of national air carrier airBaltic. However, the Prime Minister implied…
The Estonian government will allocate EUR 2mn for state-owned rail operator Elron to open a regular passenger train connection between Tartu in southern Estonia and the Latvian capital, Riga, ERR reports. The support would allow Elron to open the new passenger service in spring 2025. Piret Hartman, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, said that the…
The Estonian government will allocate almost EUR 200mn for the construction of the Rail Baltica railway and another EUR 75mn for a joint rail depot in Tallinn’s Ülemiste district over the next four years, Infrastructure Minister Vladimir Svet announced, ERR reports. He said that the funds would come from the sale of CO2 quotas. The…
The coordinator of the Rail Baltica railway project, RB Rail, will start talks with private investors on financing the project’s implementation in Latvia at the end of 2024, LSM reports. Latvia’s Ministry of Transport presented a report on the project to the public expenditure and audit committee of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima. Latvia has…
A new passenger train connection between Estonia’s second-largest city, Tartu, and the Latvian capital, Riga, will not open in October 2024 as planned, ERR reports. Märt Ehrenpreis, CTO of Estonia’s state-owned passenger train operator, Elron, said that certification of new Stadler FLIRT trains for operating on Latvian railways was taking longer than expected. Also, Elron…
Latvia’s Transport Minister, Kaspars Briskens, has no intention to resign despite criticism of his communication, LSM reports. Earlier, President Edgars Rinkevics and Prime Minister Evika Silina criticised the minister’s messaging on the future of the country’s national air carrier, airBaltic, and the Rail Baltica railway project. Speaking after a meeting with Briskens, Rinkevics said that…
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has failed to find evidence to support allegations that opposition MP Ainars Slesers had received money from Russian President Vladimir Putin, BNS reports. KNAB started the investigation in October 2022 after Dmitry Muratov, editor of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, alleged that Putin had paid money to several Western…
Baltic transport ministers called for increased EU funding for strategic transport infrastructure projects, The Baltic Times reports. The ministers insisted that the Connecting Europe Facility has to remain one of the key instruments in the EU’s next multiannual financial framwork as of 2028, with sufficient funding for cross-border transport, energy, and electronic communications projects. They…