JSC “Pasažieru vilciens” (PV) has currently received 22 of the planned 32 new electric trains from the Czech company “Škoda Vagonka”, representatives of PV said.
Among them, 20 trains are available for passenger transportation, one electric train is undergoing dynamic tests, and one electric train is being maintained at the depot, because on Tuesday morning the safety system that automatically blocks the train worked on the Saulkrasti railway line.
PV indicates that the reasons why the security system worked can be different, and they are currently being explained by “Škoda” employees. This does not mean that the train necessarily has a technical defect, because it can also be a nuance in the train system settings.
Ten more electric trains must be delivered to “Škoda Vagonka” by the end of July.
It has already been reported that the first two wagons of the new electric trains produced by “Škoda Vagonka” were delivered to Riga in June 2022. The trains were tested and tested for a long time in the Latvian railway infrastructure, but in December 2023 PV started passenger transportation with “Škoda Vagonka” electric trains. In the first months, the new trains were regularly hit by various problems.
Each electric train consists of four carriages. The length of one electric train is 109 meters. Each train has seats for 436 passengers and parking spaces for 454 passengers. The trains have single level boarding from the elevated passenger platforms.
The total cost of the entire project is estimated at 257.889 million euros.
PV was established in 2001, separating domestic passenger transportation from the functions performed by “Latvijas dželčas”. Previously, PV was a 100% subsidiary of “Latvijas dželzce” but in October 2008 it was transformed into a state-owned company.
Electric train “Vivi” near Riga Central railway station. Photo: Zane Bitere/LETA
