📋 Tender Overview
Today, on November 11, the Cabinet of Ministers reviewed and approved the indicative railway infrastructure development plan for 2025-2029. The plan defines the directions of railway infrastructure development and renovation, with priority development of passenger transportation in order to promote the connectivity of regions and ensure the mobility needs of the population in the future. The total funding is 784 million euros, it includes investments from EU funds, the Recovery Fund, the European Infrastructure Connecting Instrument, the Social Climate Fund and VAS Latvijas dzelzcels (LDz). I am pleased that the railway development plan has finally been approved, which is one of the most important prerequisites for providing citizens with comfortable and accessible movement throughout the country. We need a clear long-term vision and a concrete plan of action for the development of sustainable mobility, ensuring the connectivity of regions and promoting the countrys economic development. Thank you all for the work you have done! A large-scale, meaningful and important work has been done, where everyones contribution matters, emphasizes the Minister of Transport Atis Schwinka. In Latvia, as elsewhere in Europe, the railway is being developed as the backbone of the transport system, providing passenger and cargo transportation. The railway, as an efficient and environmentally friendly way of transporting passengers and goods, supports the European green course - to promote the decarbonization of the mobility system by 2050. Europes goal is to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 and reach zero emissions by 2050. The current regulation in the European Union (EU) (Regulation No. 2024/1679) will have a significant impact on the future development directions of the Latvian railway network and the common requirements for network parameters and technical conditions. At the end of the operational period of the development plan - in 2029, a sustainable railway infrastructure must be ensured, which is harmoniously integrated into the EUs unified railway space and is capable of qualitatively meeting the requirements of existing and future users. Taking into account that currently the Latvian railways is 80% busy for passenger transport, while only 20% for cargo service, the indicative plan prioritizes investments in railway lines with high passenger turnover and future growth potential. This means that the reorientation of the railway infrastructure from freight to passenger transport will be implemented, developing a safe, accessible and convenient infrastructure for different groups of passengers. In the electrified areas of the railway, it is planned to continue modernization, as well as the expansion of the electrified area, increasing the speed of train movement to 140 km/h, as well as the implementation of safety improvement measures. The development of the first phase of Rail Baltica and the creation of dry ports for the transfer of cargo from roads to railways are also planned. The development of railway infrastructure is synchronized with the business model of JSC Pasazieru vilciens and the planned increase of passengers by 15-20%, reaching ~30 million. passengers in 2034, as well as taking into account the scenario of the first phase of Rail Balticas implementation in Latvia, RIX - Rail Balticas main line connection, implemented by LDz. When implementing the development plan, it is planned to modernize 70% of the passenger infrastructure and modernize and build 64% or 330 km of the contact network by 2029. On the other hand, the remaining 36% or 188 km of the contact network is planned to be restored by 2034. It is expected that the implementation of the planned measures will improve regional connectivity and labor mobility, which will also be facilitated by the new passenger station - RIX Riga Airport and the modernized Riga Central Station, as well as the integration of Rail Baltica into the common national railway system. After the approval of the Indicative Plan by the MK and in accordance with Article 10 of the Railway Law, a Multi-Year Agreement On planning and financing of the maintenance and development of the public railway infrastructure of the state under the management of VAS Latvijas dzelzcels will be concluded between the Ministry of Transport and LDz. The multi-year agreement sets specific achievable indicators that the state expects from the railway infrastructure, and it also determines the structure of payments to be made for the financing of the manager of the public railway infrastructure of the state.
