Momentum is building behind the ambitious Rail Baltica project, which aims to construct an 870km standard-gauge 240km/h mixed-traffic railway linking the Baltic state capitals with Poland and the broader European railway network. David Briginshaw reports from the Latvian capital Riga on progress so far.
RB Rail, the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian joint venture responsible for implementing the Rail Baltica standard-gauge high-speed project, has awarded a €563,065 contract to Systra to develop design guidelines for the project.
LATVIA’s Ministry of Transport confirmed on June 13 that the cabinet has given national passenger operator Pasažieru Vilciens (PV) approval to proceed to the second stage of procurement of a new fleet of EMUs.
RB Rail, the company set up to oversee the Rail Baltica high-speed rail project to link the three Baltic states to Poland, has appointed its management team and published the results of a cost-benefit analysis.
LATVIAN Railways (LDZ) freight subsidiary LDZ Logistika has announced plans for the trial operation of a new largely rail-based container service connecting Riga with Mumbai in India.
THE prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in Tallinn on January 31 to sign an agreement on the implementation of the Rail Baltica standard-gauge link between the three countries.
LATVIAN Railways (LDZ) and the Latvian Ports Transport and Logistics Council have unveiled a plan to expand the electrified network from 257km to 839km and replace all existing dc electrification with ac equipment.
LATVIAN Railways (LDZ) signed a memorandum of understanding with CZ Loko, Czech Republic, and Ballard Power Systems, Canada, on August 11 on the development of hydrogen fuel cell-powered locomotives.
RIGA Transport (RS) has awarded Škoda Transportation a €62.6m contract to supply 20 15 T ForCity low-floor LRVs for the Latvian capital's 124km tram network.
Funding and soft loans from European Union facilities and affiliated organisations promise to deliver long-awaited Eastern European rail infrastructure improvements over the next decade or so. Artur Perchel, manager, Central Eastern Europe & Israel at the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), assesses the impact.