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Vivi (rail transit)

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AS "Pasažieru vilciens"
Vivi
Company typePublic company
IndustryPublic transportation
Founded2001; 23 years ago (2001)
Headquarters
Riga
Area served
Latvia
Key people
Raitis Nešpors (Chairman of the Board, interim)
Revenue52,242,019 Euro (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
604,239 Euro (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Total assets84,407,115 Euro (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
1,023 (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.vivi.lv
Vivi electric lines
Legend
Electric lines
Tukums-2
Tukums-1
Milzkalne
Smārde
Ķemeri
Skulte
Kūdra
Zvejniekciems
Sloka
Ķīšupe
Vaivari
Saulkrasti
Asari
Pabaži
Melluži
Inčupe
Pumpuri
Lilaste
Jaundubulti
Gauja
Dubulti
Carnikava
Majori
Garupe
Dzintari
Garciems
Bulduri
Kalngale
Lielupe
Vecāķi
Priedaine
Vecdaugava
Babīte
Ziemeļblāzma
Imanta
Mangaļi
Zolitūde
Sarkandaugava
Depo
Brasa
Zasulauks
Zemitāni
Torņakalns
Riga Central Station
Bieriņi / Bērnu slimnīca
Vagonu parks
Turība
Jāņavārti
Tīraine
Daugmale
Baloži
Šķirotava
Jaunolaine
Dole
Olaine
Salaspils
Dalbe
Saulkalne
Cena
Ikšķile
Ozolnieki
Jaunogre
Cukurfabrika
Ogre
Jelgava
Pārogre
Ciemupe
Ķegums
Lielvārde
Kaibala
Jumprava
Dendrārijs
Skrīveri
Muldakmens
Aizkraukle
Not to be confused with Latvijas dzelzceļš (Latvian Railways).

AS Pasažieru vilciens, operating as Vivi, is the sole passenger railway operator in Latvia, operating both electric and diesel trains on various lines throughout the country. Officially AS "Pasažieru vilciens" (lit. 'Passenger train', abbreviated: PV) the company was founded in November 2001. It is fully owned by the Latvian state, with the Ministry of Transport acting as shareholder.[1]

History

[edit]

Pasažieru vilciens was established in 2001 through the merger of two separate companies, PPU Elektrovilciens ("Electric Train") and PPU Dīzeļvilciens ("Diesel Train"). The company was created to separate domestic passenger services from other functions managed by the state-owned Latvijas Dzelzceļš (Latvian Railways). Initially, Pasažieru vilciens was a 100% subsidiary of Latvijas Dzelzceļš, but in October 2008, it became an independent state-owned company.[2]

As of 2017, Pasažieru vilciens employed 1,075 people.[3] The company currently operates ten routes, four electric and six diesel, with its main operating base in the capital city, Riga. In 2019, it carried 18.6 million passengers.[4]

On November 29, 2023, Pasažieru vilciens launched a rebranding initiative, adopting the new name Vivi (from the Latvian phrase vienā vilcienā, meaning "on one train") and a yellow-grey colour scheme.[5] This change coincided with the introduction of new Skoda Vagonka electric trains to operation.[6] The full rebranding process is set to be completed by the end of 2024,[7] although the company's legal name, AS Pasažieru vilciens, will be retained.

Routes

[edit]

Vivi operates the passenger transports in the following electric train routes:

  • Rīga – Carnikava – Saulkrasti – Skulte
  • Rīga – Dubulti – Sloka – Ķemeri – Tukums 1 – Tukums 2
  • Rīga – Jelgava
  • Rīga – Ogre – Lielvārde – Aizkraukle

and in the following diesel train routes:

  • Rīga – Jelgava – Dobele – Liepāja
  • Rīga – Krustpils – Līvāni – Daugavpils – Krāslava – Indra
  • Rīga – Krustpils – Rēzekne – Zilupe
  • Rīga – Pļaviņas – Madona – Gulbene
  • Rīga – Sigulda – Cēsis – Valmiera – Valga

the following routes have ended service in recent years

  • Rīga – Ērgļi (2007)
  • Rīga – Reņģe (2010)
  • Rīga – Ventspils (2010)
PV routes
Riga to Locomotive Coach Approximate Notes
ticket price (euro) travel time
Aizkraukle D/E O/K 2.18 - 3.60 1 h - 1 h 36 min
Carnikava E O 1.05 - 1.40 39 min - 42 min
Cēsis D O/K 3.50 1 h 15 min - 1 h 49 min
Daugavpils D O/K 7.05 - 7.75 2 h 41 min - 3 h 36 min
Dobele D O 2.85 1 h 07 min - 1 h 08 min
Gulbene D O 7.05 3 h 15 min - 3 h 22 min
Indra D O 9.45 3 h 37 min - 3 h 40 min
Jelgava D/E O 1.43 - 2.15 40 min - 45 min
Jūrmala E O 1.05 - 1.40 26 min - 36 min
Krustpils D O/K 4.40 - 5.10 1 h 35 min - 2 h 23 min
Lielvārde D/E O 1.43 - 2.15 47 min - 1 h 05 min
Liepāja D O 7.20 3 h 15 min
Līvāni D O/K 5.35 - 6.05 1 h 58 min - 2 h 39 min
Madona D O 5.25 2 h 34 min
Ogre D/E O/K 1.05 - 2.10 27 min - 48 min
Pļaviņas D O/K 4.00 - 4.70 1 h 21 min - 2 h 06 min
Rēzekne D O/K 7.20 - 7.90 2 h 44 min - 3 h 36 min
Saulkrasti E O 1.43 - 1.90 59 min - 1 h 14 min
Sigulda D O/K 1.90 53 min - 1 h 24 min
Tukums 1 E O 1.80 - 2.40 1 h - 1 h 18 min
Valga, Estonia D O/K 5.60 2 h 41 min - 3 h 18 min Shared station with Valka, Latvia.
Valmiera D O/K 4.20 1 h 51 min - 2 h 37 min
Vecāķi E O 0.60 - 0.80 26 min - 27 min
Zilupe D O 8.95 4 h 35 min - 4 h 39 min

A 1 Euro fee must be paid if a train ticket is purchased from the conductor while on the train, provided that the station from which the ticket is being bought is open at the time.

Locomotive   Coach
D Diesel O open seating
E Electric K reserved seating and a higher level of comfort

Stations

[edit]
Pasažieru vilciens logo (since 2012, inactive since December 2023)[8]
Previous logo (before 2012) on the side of a railcar. Livery in use until 2023 phaseout, logo dropped in 2020 and 2021.

The main stations on the Vivi network are:

Rolling stock

[edit]
RVR ER2T passenger train
RVR DR1AC passenger train.
New Škoda 16Ev electric trains in Riga, currently, some commissioned

The current rolling stock consists of mainly elderly Soviet-period trains built locally by Rīgas Vagonbūves Rūpnīca (RVR), although some have been refurbished in recent years,[9] and Škoda 16Ev. In 2016 PV received 19 modernized DR1A DMU train wagons from DMU vilcieni in cooperation with RVR, Daugavpils Lokomotīvju Remonta Rūpnīca and Zasulauks depot. However, LSM reported in October 2016 that the refurbished wagons soon experienced quality issues.[10]

The livery of electric trains and some diesel trains is yellow and blue, while some refurbished DMUs are in red and white.[11] Since 2023, some trains have been painted in gray and yellow. From November 29, 2023, the company began to take into operation Skoda 16Ev electric trains manufactured in the Czech Republic.

Class Type Number Year Manufacturer
DR1A DMU 31 1973 RVR
DR1AC DMU 6 2016 DMU vilcieni with RVR
DR1AM DMU 16 1998 RVR
ER2T EMU 25 1987 RVR
Škoda 16Ev EMU 32 2023 Škoda Vagonka

Future upgrades

[edit]

Electric trains

[edit]

The first project for the procurement of new trains was announced in 2010 and 2011.[12][13] In 2012 PV ordered 34 three-car electric multiple unit trains and seven three-car diesel multiple unit trains from CAF to be built on the Civity platform, with plans to manufacture them in cooperation with RVR.[14] Later that year the contract was halted due to irregularities and an appeal from Stadler with the European Commission, an initial financial supporter of the project, and a new procurement organized. A hire/purchase contract for 25 Stadler FLIRT EMUs was likewise cancelled in July 2014 after an appeal from the other participant, Hyundai Rotem, and another tender organized.[15][16][17]

In December 2015, four contenders – Talgo, CAF, Stadler Polska and Škoda Vagonka – continued participation in the second stage of the train procurement project. The contract includes the delivery of 32 electric trains with a capacity of 450 each, from 2020 to 2023, maintenance equipment, spare parts for five years and staff training.[18][19] Talgo's VitTal was announced as the provisional winner of the €225.3 million contract in November 2018 although Škoda rejected the methodology used to assess price competitiveness.[20] Škoda and CAF filed a successful appeal of the results of the procurement in December, while Stadler expressed disappointment at the results.[21][22] After reviewing the results of the contest under instructions from the government's procurement watchdog agency, the Procurement Monitoring Bureau (PMB), PV announced on February 15, 2019 that the offer from Škoda worth €241.88 million has been selected as the new winner, based on revised electricity consumption cost estimates.[23] Talgo announced in a press release the same day that they will contest the decision.[24]

On May 21, 2019, PV announced that after the second revision of the submitted bids, Škoda was again confirmed as the winner, however, the decision could yet again be contested. The offer of Talgo was mentioned as to have had a lower price per unit, but the maintenance costs of Škoda trains were found to be lower with the total cost lower as well.[25][26] Minister of Transport Tālis Linkaits commented on this that due to potential issues regarding the implication of Škoda Transportation A.S., a subsidiary of Škoda Transportation Group and a sister company of Škoda Vagonka, in recent corruption scandals concerning the Rīgas Satiksme public transport company, a failure to wrap up the procurement by the end of the year might have led to the dissolution of PV.[27][28] The PMB turned down the final complaint by Talgo on July 4, giving PV the go-ahead to sign a contract with Škoda Vagonka.[29] In a statement, the PV predicted that they would receive the first trains in late 2021, with the last ones being shipped in late 2023.[30]

The contract between PV and Škoda Vagonka a.s. was finally signed on 30 July 2019. Under the agreement, all 32 EMU trains were to be delivered by 2023 or 140 weeks after the contract takes effect.[31][32] Each 109-meter-long four-car train with a top speed of 160 km/h would accommodate 436 seated and 450 standing passengers. The trains are expected to operate services from Riga to Aizkraukle, Tukums, Jelgava and Skulte, as well as the inter-urban routes from and to Krustpils, Daugavpils and Rēzekne which are expected to be modernized and electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz for completion by the end of 2023.[33][34] In February 2020, a new signal yellow, anthracite gray and dark gray livery design created by Teika Design Studio for the future trains was unveiled by PV.[11]

Due to 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the end date of full delivery was postponed till at least end of 2023, since originally it was planned to deliver all trains to Latvia on tracks through Ukraine and Belarus, due to the same track gauge.[35][36] The first four-car train was delivered in June 2022 in parts by road through Poland and Lithuania and was used for testing purposes in the coming months. Each train was designed for 436 passengers.[37] While initially it was said that the new trains would enter service in January 2023, cited problems like production delays caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, and a long certification process still in progress, have repeatedly pushed this back to 'no earlier' than November. By June 2023, 14 electric trains had been assembled in Latvia, with nine more left to go until the end of the year. The final deliveries were planned for the first half of 2024.[38][39] The first regular journey of the new model took place on December 15, 2023, on the route Riga – Dubulti.[40][41][42] Trains heading for Aizkraukle, Tukums and Skulte would follow, concluding with the Jelgava route on December 16.[43]

In January 2024, five newly delivered Škoda 16Ev electric trains stopped running after several technical problems. On January 2, the train on the Saulkrasti–Rīga route stopped at Garciems station after the train's pantograph went down and the cabin heating stopped working. After several other repeated incidents with the new trains, Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens and Vivi demanded explanations from Škoda Vagonka about the defects and on January 5 informed passengers about the possibility to request compensation in case of canceled trains. On January 25, 2024, the members of the company's board announced their resignations, as they claimed that 'solving the crisis caused by the new electric trains is beyond the board's functions and scope'. Later, the Ministry of Transport announced that a temporary council had been appointed in its place. However, on January 26, the Minister of Transport announced that it considered to return the sets of the new trains back to the manufacturer as defects and to ask the government for money for the overhaul of the old trains.[44]

In March 2024, the deadline for the delivery of all new trains was extended to the end of the summer of 2024.[45]

Diesel and battery trains

[edit]

In May 2020, PV announced that it would procure 8 new diesel trains to replace existing DMUs with Russian-made engines due to the addition of the manufacturers to the United States sanctions list. Five bidders applied, with three advancing to the second round in July - CAF, Pesa Bydgoszcz and Stadler Polska. PV said it planned to sign a contract by December 31.[46][47]

However, this did not materialise, in part due to uncertainties concerning available funding and with the Ministry of Transport switching its focus on acquiring battery-powered trains (BEMU) by 2026, citing such upsides as a lesser impact on the environment and less noise.[48] The ministry announced plans to order feasibility study for evaluating the technological and economic aspects of the intended purchase in the second half of 2021. The ministry added that the BEMUs would be mainly used in Riga and the Riga region.[49]

A tender for 9 BEMU trains (with an option to purchase seven additional ones if funding is available) was announced on 13 April 2022 by the Road Transport Administration, which predicted that new units for a new Bolderāja – Riga – Sigulda line would be delivered by the end of 2026. Each train would have a capacity of 200–240 seats and the overall cost was predicted at €75-76 million. The submission deadline for the first round was June, with the second round scheduled for autumn of 2022.[50] Three bids were submitted by CAF, Škoda Transportation/Škoda Vagonka and Stadler Polska, with all advancing to the next round. However, in May 2023 it was reported by Delfi that the second round is delayed due to protracted documentation works.[51][52] In September, the outgoing Minister of Transport Jānis Vitenbergs told LTV1 Panorāma news that 'everything has been prepared for the start of a tender and it just needs to be announced'.[53] The Latvian Autotransport Directorate then announced it planned to start the tender 'in the near time'.[54]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Vialatvia.com | Railway authorities, companies, organizations". www.vialatvia.com. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  2. ^ "Spain's CAF contests tender to supply electric trains to Pasažieru vilciens". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  3. ^ Personāla statistika (in Latvian)
  4. ^ "Railway passenger transport statistics" (PDF). Europa EU. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Passenger trains rebranded as 'Vivi'". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  6. ^ May, Tiana (2023-12-20). "New Škoda Electric Trains Enter Service in Latvia". Railway-News. Retrieved 2024-11-11.
  7. ^ "Latvia's passenger trains rebranded as 'Vivi'". LSM.lv. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  8. ^ "Pasažieru vilciens - Balso par mūsu logo konkursā "Gada preču zīme - Latvijai"! | Facebook". www.facebook.com. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ^ "Rolling stock". Rail Fan Europe. Retrieved 2019-05-22.
  10. ^ "Modernized diesel trains prove to be a headache". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 2016-10-03. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  11. ^ a b "We'll all live in a yellow vilciens - new trains to get eye-catching paint scheme". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  12. ^ "IUB atļauj Pasažieru vilcienam slēgt līgumu ar CAF par pasažieru vilcienu iepirkumu". Diena.lv (in Latvian). 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  13. ^ "Meklēt | LR Iepirkumu uzraudzības birojs". Procurement Monitoring Bureau of the Republic of Latvia - Iepirkumu uzraudzības birojs (in Latvian). Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  14. ^ "CAF wins Latvian train contract". Railway Gazette International. 10 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Pasazieru vilciens awarded Stadler the contract for leasing new EMUs". Think Railways. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  16. ^ "Pasazieru vilciens new board stops train procurement process". Think Railways. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  17. ^ "New passenger train tender halted". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 2014-07-23. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  18. ^ "Five contenders approved for second stage of train procurement project in Latvia". Baltic News Network. 29 December 2015.
  19. ^ "Spain's Talgo to supply electric trains to Latvia for €225.3m". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 2018-11-21. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  20. ^ "Talgo selected for Latvian EMU contract". Railway Gazette. 22 November 2018.
  21. ^ "Spain's CAF contests tender to supply electric trains to Pasažieru vilciens". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  22. ^ "Pasažieru vilciens prohibited from signing train procurement contract with Talgo". Baltic News Network. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  23. ^ "Latvian EMU order goes to Skoda after tender re-evaluation". International Railway Journal. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  24. ^ "Passenger Rail picks Škoda Vagonka for electric train procurement". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2019-02-15.
  25. ^ "Results of electric train procurement might lead to liquidation of PV - Linkaits". The Baltic Course | Baltic States news & analytics. 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  26. ^ "Tender award to Skoda may lead to closure of Passenger Rail, says minister". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  27. ^ "Minister says results of train procurement suggest possible liquidation of Pasažieru vilciens". Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  28. ^ "Linkaits: Elektrovilcienu iepirkuma rezultāti liek domāt par "Pasažieru vilciena" likvidēšanu". Public Broadcasting of Latvia (in Latvian). 2019-05-21. Retrieved 2019-05-21.
  29. ^ Anstrate, Vita (2019-07-04). "Major train deal can finally leave the station". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  30. ^ "Pasažieru vilciens: Jauno vilcienu iepirkumā pastāv iespēja piesaistīt ES fondu līdzekļus". Baltic News Network (in Latvian). 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
  31. ^ "Pasazieru Vilciens signs train purchase contract with Skoda | News | LETA". www.leta.lv. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  32. ^ "Latvia's Pasažieru vilciens and Czech Škoda Vagonka sign train supply contract". Baltic News Network. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  33. ^ Barrow, Keith (2019-07-30). "Latvian EMU order finally signed". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  34. ^ "Škoda signs Latvian EMU contract". Railway Gazette. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  35. ^ "New trains will arrive later than expected". eng.lsm.lv. 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  36. ^ Bizness, DELFI (2022-05-09). "Jauni elektrovilcieni šogad vēl nekursēs, visus piegādās līdz 2023. gada beigām". delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  37. ^ "First new passenger train en route to Latvia". eng.lsm.lv. 2022-06-22. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  38. ^ "Latvia's new passenger trains could be on the tracks in autumn". Lsm.lv. 2023-06-16. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  39. ^ (LSM) Demidovs, Viktors (2023-08-15). "Latvia's new trains are very late". Lsm.lv. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  40. ^ "Photos: New electric trains welcome passengers". eng.lsm.lv. 2023-12-15. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  41. ^ "Jaunie elektrovilcieni 15. decembrī sāks kursēt uzreiz vairākos maršrutos". TV3.lv (in Latvian). 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  42. ^ "Pirmajā dienā pasažierus pārvadās trīs jaunie elektrovilcieni". sam.gov.lv (in Latvian). 2023-12-14. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  43. ^ "New trains will run on three railway lines Friday". eng.lsm.lv. 2023-12-14. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  44. ^ "Vivi council resigns over train delay crisis". eng.lsm.lv. 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  45. ^ "Latvia's train delivery deadlines extended once again". eng.lsm.lv. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
  46. ^ "Five bidders applied for diesel train procurement tender". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  47. ^ "Three bidders chosen for diesel train procurement in Latvia". eng.lsm.lv. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  48. ^ "Transport Minister: new train purchase could be delayed in Latvia". eng.lsm.lv. 2020-10-12. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  49. ^ "Latvia plans to purchase battery-powered trains by 2026". eng.lsm.lv. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  50. ^ "Latvia announces procurement of nine battery-powered electric trains". The Baltic Times. 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  51. ^ "Bateriju vilcienu konkursā pieteikušies trīs pretendenti" [Three bids submitted for the battery-powered train tender]. www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  52. ^ Krastiņa, Baiba (2023-05-24). "Bateriju vilcienu iepirkums sagādā aizvien lielākas raizes". www.delfi.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  53. ^ Ozola-Balode, Zanda (2023-09-09). "Vilcienu «pensionāru» uzturēšanai rezerves daļas meklē arī citu valstu noliktavās". www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  54. ^ "ATD drīzumā plāno izsludināt bateriju vilcienu iepirkuma otro kārtu, pretendenti no Spānijas, Polijas un Čehijas". iauto.lv (in Latvian). 2023-09-12. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
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