According to interviewed politicians of the ruling coalition in Latvia, delays with supplies of the first new electric trains are the responsibility of Pasažieru vilciens (PV), not Minister of Transport Kaspars Briškens.
When asked if the ongoing problems with passenger trains could serve as a reason to reconsider Briškens’ fitness to remain as Latvian Minister of Transport, New Unity’s Saeima faction chairman Edmunds Jurēvics told LETA that the minister is actively involved in activities to fix the problem and regularly reports on the development of the situation. This is why New Unity sees no reason to reconsider him for the post.
Similarly the chairman of Saeima faction Union of Greens and Farmers Harijs Rokpelnis believes problems stem from the inheritance Briškens received when he took office. This is why the politician is confident the minister is not to blame for problems with trains. At the same time, the Union of Greens and Farmers plans to meet with the minister to resolve this problem.
The leader of New Unity’s faction Jurēvics stresses that the responsibility lies with Pasažieru vilciens, and that the company’s management needs to do all it can to ensure uninterrupted train traffic, as well as penalise the supplier with sanctions if possible. It is also important to solve problems with older generation trains.
Latvian Railway (LDz) should offer solutions on its own level as well, Jurēvics said.
JV politician said the management of Pasažieru vilciens should keep residents informed about changes with railway traffic and available trains. Residents should be able to see the company’s plan to restore regular railway traffic.
ZZS faction leader Rokpelnis added that delays with trains represent a serious problem – one that cannot be swept under the rug. Faction deputies intend to get a grasp of the situation in their upcoming meeting with the minister, as well as find a solution to the problem and identify those responsible for this problem.
As it is known, for weeks there have been problems with passenger trains in Latvia. Initially technical difficulties plagued only some trains on specific routes. However, in the past two days problems have become more severe. For example, so far the biggest number of passengers were not able to get home normally because of train delays on Monday.
There were various reasons for delays. For example, on Monday many railway lines were under red light – one train was waiting on a one-lane railway to let an approaching train pass. Various factors contributed to this and caused major delays, PV reported.
Freezing rain and strong wind caused the Škoda Vagonka electric train’s current collector and Latvian Railway current contact line to freeze over on the Riga-Aizkraukle route.
Also read: ViVi down again due to technical difficulties. Several trains cancelled
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