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 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…
Lithuania seeks to attract more flights to the seaside resort of Palanga, BNS reports. The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economy, and the Klaipeda Region Association (AKR) have agreed to raise public funds for increasing traffic at Palanga International Airport (POU). AKR unites the seven municipalities in the Klaipeda county. The goal is to…
Latvia’s Ministry of Transport has proposed that passengers travelling on the Rail Baltica railway will have to change trains to transfer from Riga Central Station to Riga International Airport, LETA reports. Under the plan, Riga Central Station would be connected to the airport via a standard-gauge (1,520 mm) railway line. The ministry argued that building…
The Latvian government made a decision in 2015 to include international railway stations at Riga Central Station and Riga International Airport (RIX) in the Rail Baltica project, according to the Ministry of Transport, LETA reports. The then government approved a plan to build the project’s most complex objects first so that they would be available…
The ruling coalition in Latvia will review contracts and rising costs of the Rail Baltica railway project before approving any related payments, LETA reports. Following an audit of the project, the Ministry of Transport has turned to the Prosecution Office. The audit estimated that the total cost of the project had risen to EUR 23.8bn….
The cargo turnover of Latvian ports totalled 38.655mn tonnes in 2023, which was down 19.6% from 48.078mn tonnes in 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Transport, Baltic News Network reports. The ministry attributed the decline to changes in the geopolitical situation, particularly the sanctions against Russia. The volume of bulk cargo handled at…
Latvia’s Ministry of Transport supports the resumption of passenger train traffic between Latvia and Lithuania, LSM reports. The ministry said that the priority was reopening the route from Riga via Daugavpils to Vilnius. The Latvian and Lithuanian passenger train operators, Pasazieru Vilciens (PV) and LTG Link, have drawn up various options for routes, operators, and…
Lithuania’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Marius Skuodis, has appointed Simonas Bartkus as the new CEO of the state-owned airport operator, Lietuvos Oro Uostai (Lithuanian Airports, LTOU), as of 16 August 2023. LTOU’s previous CEO, Marius Gelzinis, resigned in June 2022. Bartkus has 10 years of management experience in the aviation and transport sectors. LTOU…
