By Ilona Bērziņa
Latvian Railways (LDz) plans to completely abandon the use of the automated operational transport management system (APOVS) produced in Russia within the first months of next year, replacing it with OPVS, KPS and VAIS solutions manufactured in the EU, EEA or NATO member states. These systems will be integrated with those used by Estonian Railways and Lithuanian Railways, BNN learned from the company.
For several years, the Latvian railway system has operated under a paradox: a country positioned between NATO and an aggressor state continues to rely on an information system produced in Russia and integrated into the Russian railway ecosystem — a system that makes cargo movements visible on both sides of the border. Even after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when security risks became not just theoretical but real and part of daily experience, this system continued to function as if nothing had happened. The plan to abandon Russian-made communication systems at the beginning of next year will significantly strengthen Latvia’s security.
APOVS is a system where all cargo movements are visible
“APOVS is a system in open-use mode in which all cargo transport movements are visible,” explained Ivars Rullis, board member of SIA BEX locomotives, when asked to comment on how APOVS operates. “It is used on the 1,520 mm rail gauge. Without this system we cannot effectively operate with third countries — we cannot see many accounting elements of the rolling stock, and for now we have not yet learned to work without it.”
Asked whether this creates security risks, Ivars Rullis admits that unfortunately, through this system it is possible to see cargo movements both on our side and in Russia.
This means that until now Latvia has been fully integrated into a system whose origins, upkeep, and control lie within the territory of the aggressor state.
LDz: the risks are being managed
In response to the question of whether APOVS poses security risks, LDz — through communications project manager Agnese Līcīte — stated that the company has for several years been working to achieve independence from IT systems produced in CIS countries, which historically have operated across the entire 1,520 mm railway network. As the manager of critical infrastructure, LDz also works closely with national security institutions on IT security matters, and risks are managed accordingly.
“We emphasize that the APOVS system is related solely to data exchange about cargo; it does not allow control or influence over train movements. It is also important that data exchange in this system does not take place for strategically important transports (including military transports). The system is used so that cargo and train compositions can be documented quickly during the handover–acceptance process at border points.”
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