New electric trains will start running on several routes at once on Friday, said Rodgers Janis Grigulis, Chairman of the Board of Pasazieru Vilciens passenger train company, in an interview to commercial TV3 television on Monday.
He pointed out that the Czech company Skoda Vagonka is ready to hand over a total of 15 new electric trains to Pasazieru Vilciens, and the process is still underway.
At the same time, Grigulis noted that the aim is to introduce the new trains on several routes at once on December 15.
He also said that the Czech company expects to deliver all 32 new electric trains to Pasazieru Vilciens by the middle of next year. “Let’s see if they stick to this plan,” Grigulis added.
He also said that with the introduction of the new electric trains, the old trains will no longer be used to carry passengers.
He also said that there are several plans to dispose of the existing trains, including an auction, and several countries have already expressed interest, such as Georgia and Kazakhstan. However, Ukraine has also expressed interest in the trains and a political decision could be taken to sell or transfer the trains to Ukraine. “An agreement is still to be reached,” Grigulis added.
As reported, Skoda Group will deliver a total of 32 trains to Latvia. 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.
Source: BNS
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