Category: Latvia

Latvia bans agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus

Latvia has banned agricultural imports from Russia and Belarus. The Baltic country is the first EU country to go as far as to introduce a total ban on Russian agricultural products. The ban will last until 2025 at the very least.  Russia’s neighbouring Baltic country was one of the biggest importers of Russian grain in […]

Rail Baltica Estonia signs new contracts, optimistic about progress

Rail Baltica Estonia has signed new construction contracts for a part of the Rail Baltica mainline in the northernmost Baltic country. According to the project’s organisation, the newly signed contracts covering 16 kilometres of its Estonian section are a ‘significant milestone’. The organisation also expresses optimistism about the construction progress of the rail line. The […]

LTG Cargo runs first cross-Baltic cargo train pilot

Lithuanian rail operator LTG Cargo has run its first continuous pilot train across all Baltic countries. It is the company’s first independently run cargo train traversing all three Baltic states. As Baltic rail operators have faced financial difficulties due to a loss of freight from and to Russia and Belarus, they seek to diversify their […]

Estonian Operail announces full privatisation in order to save itself

Estonian national rail operator Operail has announced a new business strategy that involves full privatisation. The privatisation is a necessary step to find additional financial sources. According to the company, privatisation will also enable the expansion of operations into foreign markets. Operail has been struggling financially after the implementation of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. […]

EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga

The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]

EU: Rail Baltica needs to be done by 2030 with or without Riga

The European Commission has been clear about its demands for the construction of Rail Baltica. The railway needs to be finished and have trains running by 2030 to continue funding. A key question is whether or not Latvian capital city Riga will be connected to the line by that time. In Latvia, the Rail Baltica […]

The latest Military Mobility funds are in: here are the rail highlights

The latest round of Military Mobility funds provided by the EU Commission as part of CEF has been approved. Railway projects are once again highlighted. Of the 807 million euros released by the Commission, approximately 485 million euros will target railway infrastructure projects. Eight out of thirty-eight projects will also directly impact freight. According to […]

Estonian Operail scraps old locomotives amid financial problems

The Estonian state-owned company Operail has sent its old locomotives to the scrapyard. They will now be dismantled, and the remaining materials will be sold off to interested parties. The move comes amid a difficult financial situation following the loss of Russian transit goods. The locomotives to be scrapped were purchased in 2002 and had […]