Ninth new electric train delivered to Latvia

RIGA - The ninth new electric train has been successfully delivered from the Czech Republic to Latvia, Sigita Zviedre, a spokeswoman for Pasazieru Vilciens (Passenger Trains) rail company, informed LETA.

She informs that on Friday two guarded trucks from Skoda Group company Skoda Vagonka production plant in Ostrava brought the remaining two of the four wagons of the ninth new electric train to Riga. The first two wagons and roof components of the respective electric train reached Riga last week, and the rolling part - this week.

Thus, nine sets of the new electric train have now been delivered to Latvia. The first new electric train reached Riga last June, the second in July, the third in October, the fourth in November, the fifth in December, the sixth in January this year, and the seventh and eighth in February.

Electric trains are being transported from the Czech Republic by road through Poland and Lithuania.

Four of the delivered passenger trains are already being tested on the Riga-Aizkraukle line, with three of them running empty and the fourth with sandbags on board, simulating the weigh of 890 passengers.

As reported, Pasazieru Vilciens is expected to receive all 32 electric trains by the end of 2023. Each of them will consist of four wagons. The length of one electric train will be 109 meters and each train will have 436 seats.

The project costs are EUR 257.889 million with co-funding from the EU Cohesion Fund worth EUR 114.211 million.

Pasazieru Vilciens was established in 2001 to separate domestic passenger services from other functions performed by the state-owned Latvijas Dzelzcels (Latvian Railway). Although initially Pasazieru Vilciens was a 100-percent owned subsidiary of the Latvian Railway, in October 2008 it was transformed into an independent state-owned company.