The new electric trains will start coursing on multiple routes in Latvia starting Friday, the 15th of December, as confirmed by Pasažieru vilciens JSC board chairman Rodžers Jānis Grigulis in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds on Monday, the 11th of December.
He said Czech company Škoda Vagonka is ready to hand over to Pasažieru vilciens a total of 15 new electric trains. The commissioning process still continues.
At the same time, Grigulis mentioned that the goal is to deploy trains on multiple routes on the 15th of December.
The head of the company also mentioned that all 32 new trains are scheduled to be delivered to Pasažieru vilciens by mid-2024. “We will look how well they stick to the plan,” Grigulis added.
He also said that with the introduction of new trains, the old ones will be gradually phased out.
“The old trains will become a rare sight,” said Grigulis.
He also mentioned that there are multiple plans in regards to the future of existing trains. An auction could be organised for them. On top of that, multiple countries, such as Georgia and Kazakhstan, have expressed an interest in them. Ukraine is also interested. A political decisions to either sell or donate trains to Ukraine could be made. “Negotiations are coming up,” added Grigulis.
As previously reported, the first to Škoda Vagonka train cars were delivered to Riga in June 2022.
Each electric train consist of four cars. The length of a single train is 109 m. Each train has 436 seats and enough room for 454 standing passengers. All trains have a same-level boarding with passenger platforms for ease of access.
Pasažieru vilciens representatives previously said the company will request Škoda Vagonka to pay a fine for their failure to deliver trains on time. The maximum fine for failure to deliver each train within the agreed upon time is 10% of the train’s price.
The total costs of the project reach EUR 257.889 million.
In nine months of 2023 Pasažieru vilciens’ turnover was EUR 44.256 million, which is 19.2% more than last year. The company’s profits went down 21% to EUR 458 074.
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