On 27 February, President Edgars Rinkēvičs and the Minister of Transport, Kaspars Briškens, held a meeting at the Riga Castle to discuss topical issues related to the transport sector. The topics discussed included the technical condition and operation of new electric trains, the provision of postal services, the state of road infrastructure in Latvia, and the Rail Baltica project.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia and the Minister of Transport exchanged views on the current operational status of the new Škoda Vagonka electric trains and the timeframe for mitigating the issues hampering their operation. "The immediate priority now is to resolve the crisis and ensure the delivery of reliable and trustworthy passenger train services. It is also important to investigate the root cause of this issue. Therefore, a report on the corrective measures undertaken by the Management Board of JSC 'Pasažieru vilciens' and an assessment of its responsibility is anticipated by mid-March of this year. This situation reflects wider and more systematic issues in large-scale state procurements and their oversight," said the President of Latvia.
Additionally, the progress of implementation of the Rail Baltica project implementation was discussed, including the total project costs and the ongoing efforts to secure additional funding. The President of Latvia listened to the Minister's opinion regarding the changes in the project's management. "In light of strict deadlines, it is crucial for all public institutions to work as a united team under the leadership of government and the Ministry of Transport, in ensuring that the Rail Baltica project takes on substantive shape by 2030. The first step towards delivering on this objective is the establishment of a clear governance structure, followed by identification of additional sources of funding," said E. Rinkēvičs.
"A well-organized road infrastructure is a key prerequisite for regional development, which is I have personally observed during my visits to various regions of the country. The relevance of this issue has been further affirmed by the ongoing negotiations on the improvement of the national school network. Any action scenarios developed by experts in the education sector would not be feasible without appropriate road infrastructure to transport students to educational institutions," stressed the President of Latvia. During the meeting, President Rinkēvičs brought up specific concerns regarding the state of the road infrastructure in Latvia. These concerns included the challenges faced by the Olaine municipality with the railway overpass, as well as the need for developing bypass roads in the cities of Rīga and Bauska.
