A rail link to the Latvian capital, Riga, is planned to be built in the second phase of the Rail Baltica railway project, Marko Kivila, CEO of the Baltic joint venture, RB Rail, told LETA. He noted that the Baltic States had not agreed on a timetable for the second phase yet. There would be…
Latvia’s Consumer Rights Protection Centre (PTAC) will fine the electronic moped rental company, Ride, for failing to suspend operations as requested, LETA reports. PTAC told Ride to suspend operations after two teenage girls riding the company’s moped died when they were hit by a train in Riga. The consumer rights authority concluded that Ride had…
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…
The passenger train operators of the three Baltic States will open an easier connection from Tallinn via Tartu and Riga to Vilnius on 6 January 2025, BNS reports, citing Vooremaa. The new connection harmonises carrier timetables and will include two transfers. The whole journey from Tallinn to Vilnius will take around 10.5 hours in total,…
The passenger train operators of the three Baltic states will begin coordinating their timetables to enable a smooth connection between the Baltic capitals, LSM reports. Estonia’s Elron, Latvia’s Vivi, and Lithuania’s LTG Link plan to align the timetables as of 6 January 2025. Transfer times at Valga and Riga will be around 10-20 minutes. The…
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 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…