Next week, on 13 March 2019, the representatives of the Management Committee of the International Union of Railways (UIC), heads of the European railway companies, will meet in Riga to discuss topical matters, including railway as the most environmentally friendly land transport. This will be the first meeting of high-ranking UIC members in Riga.
In recent years, VAS (SJSC) “Latvijas dzelzceļš” (LDz) has focused on strengthening its role at international organisations, moreover, since December 2017, the President of LDz, Edvīns Bērziņš, is a member of the Management Committee of the UIC, and since December 2018, he is the First Vice President of the European Regional Assembly of this organisation.
The Director General of the UIC, Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, his Deputy, François Davenne, and Executive Director of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), Libor Lochman, will also attend the meeting in Riga. Moreover, the meeting will be attended by the railway company heads from Germany, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Poland.
One of the key matters to be discussed in Riga will be railway as the most environmentally friendly land transport. During the high-level discussion, the attendees will express their views on the climate change and railway as the most environmentally friendly transport that can become the basis of sustainable mobility. During the discussion, it is planned to obtain joint solutions for further development. Moreover, this discussion will be the starting point for a wider discussion that will continue this year in Budapest, during the meeting of Regional Assembly of the UIC that will be attended by Presidents and Vice Presidents of other regions to discuss how to popularise railway as environmentally friendly transport.
During the meeting, LDz will introduce the attendees with the system, main connections, existing challenges, and future plans of the Latvian railway.
SJSC (VAS) ”Latvijas dzelzceļš” is a public-use railway infrastructure manager and the leading company of the Group of Companies “Latvijas dzelzceļš”. The group of companies includes six subsidiaries: JSC (AS) ”LatRailNet”, which determines the infrastructure charge and distributes the railway infrastructure capacity; LLC (SIA) “LDZ CARGO”, which ensures rail freight transport and international passenger transport; infrastructure construction and maintenance company LLC (SIA) “LDZ infrastruktūra”; rolling stock repair and maintenance company LLC (SIA) “LDZ ritošā sastāva serviss”; security company LLC (SIA) “LDZ apsardze”, as well as logistics company LLC (SIA) “LDZ Loģistika”. LDz has received Platinum category of the Sustainability Index and is listed among five the most valuable and best managed companies in Latvia according to the annual rating compiled by “Prudentia” and “Nasdaq Riga”.
VAS ”Latvijas dzelzceļš”
Corporate Communication Unit
Tel.: 67233797, 67232873, 67234567
E-mail: pr@ldz.lv www.ldz.lv