LATVIA: National passenger operator Pasažieru Vilciens has awarded Ricardo a contract to support the delivery, commissioning and introduction of a fleet of 32 dual-system electric multiple-units it has ordered from Škoda Vagonka.
The €1·8m contract signed on November 4 runs to the end of 2023 and includes quality assurance review during manufacturing, vehicle acceptance support, verification of efficiency and maintenance parameters, warranty support and knowledge transfer. The work will be undertaken by teams from the consultancy’s Utrecht office, supported by local representatives.
PV placed the €240m order for the 1 520 mm gauge EMUs in 2019, with delivery planned for in 2022-23. They will be able to use the existing 3 kV DC overhead line equipment on the suburban routes from Riga to Aizkraukle, Tukums, Skulte and Jelgava, and will able to run at up to 160 km/h on the inter-urban routes from Riga to Krustpils, Daugavpils and Rēzekne, which national railway LDz is electrifying at 25 kV 50 Hz for completion by the end of 2023.
The EMUs will be 109 m long with a capacity of up to 400 seated and 450 standing passengers. The yellow and anthracite grey livery has been developed by the operator, manufacturer and design studio TEIKA to offer high visibility and be ‘iconic yet also practical’.
PV Chair Rodžers Jānis Grigulis said the ‘long awaited state-of-the-art’ units would be ‘designed and built for Latvia’s commuters’, and ‘will provide a safer, more comfortable and better-connected passenger experience.’
