The Road Transport Administration (ATD) on Thursday signed a contract with the Czech consortium “Škoda Transportation – Škoda Vagonka” (“Škoda”) for the purchase of nine battery electric multiple units (BEMU) worth 89.409 million euros.
The delivery of the battery trains is planned by 2029, and they will be acquired using funding from the European Union (EU) Cohesion Fund and the Latvian state budget.
The train purchase agreement also includes an option to acquire an additional seven trains if the necessary funding is secured.
The new battery trains are expected to operate primarily on the routes to Daugavpils and Cēsis, where the necessary charging infrastructure will be developed. If additional trains are purchased, it will be possible to replace most of the existing diesel trains and serve additional destinations such as Rēzekne and Valmiera.
BEMU trains are electric trains equipped with batteries that allow them to operate on non-electrified railway segments.
They can charge both while running on electrified lines and at dedicated charging stations.
The new BEMU trains will have two carriages and offer 188 seats, including 24 first-class seats. Their top design speed is 160 km/h, while in battery mode they can reach 120 km/h. A significantly improved acceleration compared to current diesel trains will allow more efficient use of existing 120 km/h railway infrastructure and potentially reduce travel time by 15 to 25 minutes.
According to the ATD, Latvia currently operates 23 diesel trains on non-electrified routes, manufactured between 1980 and 1992. The nine new battery electric trains will replace part of this fleet.
ATD chairman Jānis Lapiņš emphasizes that battery electric trains are a major investment for Latvia, strengthening the role of rail as the backbone of public transport and improving the quality and accessibility of passenger services.
He noted that
passengers will benefit from improved climate control, reduced noise and vibration, power outlets,
USB-C charging, and other comforts.
Lapiņš added that the new trains will be fully accessible and compliant with the latest European accessibility standards. They will feature a modern passenger information system and designated spaces for wheelchair users. Conditions for cyclists will also be improved.
“In old diesel trains, you typically have a high-floor design and only three bicycle spaces, whereas in the new battery trains there will be eight bicycle spaces in the low-floor area – four vertical and four horizontal,” Lapiņš said.
Škoda Group’s Executive Director Petr Novotný noted that Latvia is already operating 32 Škoda 16Ev electric trains, and the new BEMU contract continues the cooperation between Škoda and ATD. “Winning the tender for up to 16 battery trains for Latvia demonstrates Škoda Group’s growing role in the Baltic region,” he said.
Novotný added that in addition to electric trains and the newly ordered BEMU units, Škoda is also supplying electric trains to Estonia and trolleybuses to its capital Tallinn, with a recent trolleybus delivery completed for Vilnius.
Information from the Electronic Procurement System (EIS) shows that in the second stage of the procurement process,
offers were submitted by Škoda—with a bid price of 89.409 million euros—and Poland’s Stadler Polska,
whose documents did not meet the tender requirements. As Škoda’s offer was the only eligible one, it received the contract.
In the first stage of the tender, “Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles” (CAF) also participated but did not submit an offer for the second stage.
The ATD launched the procurement for battery electric trains in April 2022.
As previously reported by LETA, on the 9th of September this year the government approved 123 million euros for the purchase of new BEMU trains and the development of charging infrastructure. The total funding for this initiative is 123.069 million euros, including 104.609 million euros from the EU Cohesion Fund and 18.46 million euros from the state budget.
By 2029, Latvia plans to acquire at least nine new BEMU units
and build the required charging infrastructure.
The Ministry of Transport (SM) stated that at a meeting of the EU thematic committee in March 2025, an agreement was reached on reallocating funds in the transport sector, including rail, to strengthen the railway network and improve regional connectivity.
For BEMU acquisition, 94.082 million euros of EU funding was reallocated from a programme on improving rail transport and energy efficiency in public passenger services, while €10.527 million was reallocated for developing BEMU charging infrastructure from a programme focused on investments in TEN-T road network safety and environmental accessibility.
According to the Ministry, BEMU trains can run 80–100 kilometers on non-electrified lines without recharging. After that, they must recharge their batteries, which requires dedicated charging infrastructure. Batteries also recharge while the train travels on electrified sections, but longer non-electrified routes will require charging solutions to ensure full route coverage.
Primarily, BEMU trains will be used to improve rail connections between Riga and more distant regions—specifically on the Riga–Cēsis and Riga–Daugavpils routes. These routes currently have high passenger volumes, and platform upgrades to raised platforms will continue through 2029.
Indicatively, four charging stations would be required for these routes: in Sigulda and Cēsis for the Riga–Cēsis line, and in Līvāni and Daugavpils for the Riga–Daugavpils line.
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