The President of SJSC Latvijas dzelzceļš (LDz) and the head of Belarusian Railway Vladimir Morozov signed an agreement on cooperation in the electrification of the rail section Daugavpils - Polotsk on 19 May in Minsk.
On 19 and 20 May, the LDz delegation met the executives of Belarusian Railway to discuss the opportunities for cooperation in future projects. An agreement on the coordination of actions in the area of electrification was signed during the meeting. "Electrification is one of the largest and most important investment projects for LDz, and coordinated actions with neighbours are very important. We are pleased that the Belarusian side understands the importance of this project and supports us," says the President Uģis Magonis.
V. Morozov said: "Latvijas dzelzceļš is an important partner for us and this is why the electrification of the railway in the Latvian direction was included in our development plan."
The railway executives agreed to form a joint working group whose task would be to coordinate the joint plans, schedules and actions in the electrification of the Daugavpils - Polotsk direction and traction capacities and cargo flow amounts.
It has been planned to set up a joint timetable within three months to include the electrification actions by each party.
Electrification of Latvian railways in the East-West corridor, Rail Baltica route and upgrading of the existing electrified network to 25 kV alternating current is the largest rail investment project to date in Latvia. Electrification significantly reduces the environmental pollution caused by diesel emissions, reduces train noise levels, all while boosting the competitiveness of the Latvian transit sector.
The Latvijas dzelzceļš concern consists of the holding company SJSC Latvijas dzelzceļš and five subsidiaries - JSC LatRailNet in charge of setting infrastructure cost and rail infrastructure capacity distribution, Railway Cargo Ltd. which provides rail freight and international passenger transport; the infrastructure construction and maintenance company LDz Infrastruktūra Ltd.; rolling stock repair and maintenance company LDz Ritošā Sastāva Serviss Ltd and the security company LDz Apsardze Ltd.
Prepared by the LDz Public Relations Department