Independent technical assistance experts of the European Commission (EC) (JASPERS Independent Quality Review) have provided a positive opinion regarding the SJSC (VAS) Latvijas dzelzceļš project “Electrification of the Latvian Railway Network”.
Upon receiving a positive opinion from independent experts, the project documentation will be submitted to the European Commission for the final decision on the project approval. In the wake of a positive decision of the EC, a contract on the implementation of the project will be signed with the Central Finance and Contract Agency.
The first stage of the project will be implemented with the support of co-financing by the Cohesion Fund to the amount of 347 million euros within the framework of the measure 6.2.1.1 “Electrification of the Latvian Railway Network” of Specific Support Objective 6.2.1 “To Provide a Competitive and Environmentally Friendly TEN-T Railway Network Facilitating Its Safety, Quality, and Capacity” of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” of the programming period 2014–2020 of the Cohesion Fund of the European Union (EU) Structural Funds.
In autumn 2018, procurement on the design and construction of stage one was concluded. Four applications were submitted to phase 1 of the procurement (qualification). Taking into account the complexity of the project to be implemented, the assessment of proposals is still in progress. The planned total cost of stage one of the railway electrification accounts for 441 million euros.
The railway electrification project is significant both for the transport and logistics sectors and the global competitiveness of the national economy of Latvia. Furthermore, it will provide a substantive contribution to environmental protection. In general, the implementation of the railway electrification project programme is planned in several stages:
- Stage 1: Daugavpils–Krustpils; Rēzekne–Krustpils–Rīga
- Stage 2: Krustpils–Ventspils
- Stage 3: Reconstruction of the existing electrified railway network
(Source: LDz)
