“Passenger Trains” calls for tougher penalties for damaging trains, including grabbing / Article

In a press release, “Passenger Train” informed the media that ten episodes of train damage were recorded in 2020, while in 2023, vandals damaged trains 52 times. In total, in the last four years, AS “Pasažieru vilciens” has encountered more than 150 acts of vandalism against trains.

The most common form of damage to trains is unauthorized tagging. There have been more than 100 such cases in recent years.

As a result, damage is caused to the company – the elimination of the consequences of damage to markings and the idleness of trains until the drawings are cleaned.

However, the interests of passengers are most significantly affected, because the downtime of trains means that the goal of providing accessible public transport services to citizens is endangered. In addition, “Pasažieru vilciens” is actually the only provider of public transport services by rail throughout Latvia.

The company provides external and internal security of the trains, video surveillance and security of the train parking places, and the trains are insured. However, intentional damage to trains still happens. Criminal liability is provided for this (Article 185, first part of the Criminal Law) with a penalty of imprisonment for up to two years, temporary imprisonment, probation supervision, community service or a fine.

However, in the company’s opinion, these penalties have not been a deterrent to such crimes. Therefore, AS “Pasažieru vilciens” has sent proposals to the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Justice to revise the amount of penalties, increasing them or reclassifying them as crimes against the state. The maximum punishment for an activity aimed at undermining the activity of the transport industry, as well as institutions or organizations with the aim of harming the Republic of Latvia, based on Article 89 of the Criminal Law, is deprivation of liberty for a period of five to 12 years, with or without confiscation of property.

In addition to that, “Passenger Train” is planning a campaign to explain to the public the impact of vandalism on train traffic and the liability for such a criminal offense as defined in the regulatory acts.

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