Transport in Latvia
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This article provides an overview of the transport infrastructure of
Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
.


Road system

It is mandatory to keep headlights on while driving, even in daylight; most cars commercially sold in Latvia are equipped to make this automatic.


Highways


Length of the road system


Railways

Latvian Railways JSC Latvian Railway ( lv, Latvijas dzelzceļš or LDz) was established on 2 September 1991 and is seen as the successor of the Latvian Railway Board (Latvian Railways) which was established on 5 August 1919. Latvijas dzelzceļš is a state-owned ...
is the main state-owned railway company in Latvia. Its daughter companies both carry out passengers services as well as carry a large quantity of freight cargo, and freight trains operate over the whole current passenger network, and a number of lines currently closed to passenger services. There is also a
narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structur ...
between
Gulbene Gulbene (; german: Schwanenburg) is a town in northeastern Latvia. It is an administrative center of Gulbene Municipality. The area of this region is , with a population of 29,797 inhabitants (69,369 sealen, 10,015 urban, 19,782 rural populat ...
and Aluksne, operated by the Industrial Heritage Trust, using Russian and Polish built heritage rolling stock. Three narrow gauge trains a day operate on the 33 km route between the two towns.
''total:'' 2,347 km
'' Russian gauge:'' 2,314 km gauge (270 km electrified)
'' narrow gauge:'' 33 km gauge (2002)


Passenger Train

Pasažieru Vilciens is a daughter company of
Latvian Railways JSC Latvian Railway ( lv, Latvijas dzelzceļš or LDz) was established on 2 September 1991 and is seen as the successor of the Latvian Railway Board (Latvian Railways) which was established on 5 August 1919. Latvijas dzelzceļš is a state-owned ...
and the only passenger-carrying company in Latvia. Domestic passenger lines with current service are: *
Torņakalns – Tukums II Railway Torņakalns is a neighbourhood of Riga, Latvia located on the western bank of the Daugava River (neighbourhoods along this shore are collectively known as Pārdaugava). The name Torņakalns (''English: Tower Hill'') derives from a fortified t ...
* Riga – Jelgava Railway * Jelgava – Liepāja Railway * Riga – Daugavpils Railway * KrustpilsRēzekneZilupe (border of Russia) * Rīga –
Sigulda Sigulda (; german: Segewold, pl, Zygwold, russian: Сигулда) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga. Overview Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish Dev ...
Cēsis Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Upland, Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja, Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges ...
ValmieraValga (border of Estonia) * Zemitāni – Skulte Railway * Pļaviņas
Gulbene Gulbene (; german: Schwanenburg) is a town in northeastern Latvia. It is an administrative center of Gulbene Municipality. The area of this region is , with a population of 29,797 inhabitants (69,369 sealen, 10,015 urban, 19,782 rural populat ...


Rail links with adjacent countries

* Russia - yes *
Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
- yes * Belarus - yes * Estonia - yes


Airports

Riga International Airport is the only major airport in Latvia, carrying around 5 million passengers annually. It is the largest airport in the Baltic states and has direct flights to over 80 destinations in 30 countries. It is also the main hub of airBaltic. In the recent years airBaltic also operated from
Liepāja International Airport Liepāja International Airport is a regional airport in western Latvia which is certified for international air traffic. Along with Riga International Airport and Ventspils Airport, it is one of the two major airports in Latvia. Overview Liepā ...
as well as Ventspils International Airport but operations in both of these airports were ceased until 2017, when airBaltic relaunched flights from Riga to Liepaja. Currently there are plans for further development in several regional airports, including
Jūrmala Airport Jūrmala Airport is an airport located in Smārde Parish, Tukums Municipality, in the Courland region of Latvia, southeast of Tukums. All of the airport's technical infrastructure, runway and buildings are what was left of the former Soviet ...
, Liepāja, Ventspils as well as Daugavpils International Airport.


Airfields

As of 2003, there were a total of 51 airfields in Latvia, with 27 of them having paved runways. Airports - with paved runways ''total:'' 27
''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 7
''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 2
''914 to 1,523 m:'' 2
''under 914 m:'' 16 (2003) Airports - with unpaved runways ''total:'' 24
''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 1
''1,523 to 2,438 m:'' 2
''914 to 1,523 m:'' 1
''under 914 m:'' 20 (2003)


Ports and harbors

Key ports are located in
Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...
(
Freeport of Riga Riga Free Port ( lv, Rīgas brīvosta) is a major port on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, located in Riga, the capital of Latvia. It stretched for 15 kilometers along both banks of the Daugava within the city limits, the area of the port is 19 ...
and
Riga Passenger Terminal Riga Passenger Terminal ( lv, Rīgas pasažieru termināls) is a terminal in Riga, Latvia, that services public and private passenger traffic by sea. The terminal is situated at the address 3A Eksporta Street. Destinations Tallink Tallink ( ...
), Ventspils ( Free port of Ventspils), and Liepāja (
Port of Liepāja Port of Liepaja ( lv, Liepājas osta) is a port in Liepāja Liepāja (; liv, Līepõ; see other names) is a state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest-city in the Kurzeme Region and the third-largest city in th ...
). Most transit traffic uses these and half the cargo is crude oil and oil products.Latvia
World Bank


Waterways

300 km (perennially navigable)


Pipelines

crude oil Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crude ...
412 km; refined products 421 km; natural gas 1,097 km (2003)


Merchant marine


''total:'' 11 ships (with a volume of or over) totaling /
''note:'' includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Germany 1, Greece 1, Ukraine 1 (2002 est.)
''ships by type:''
cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. Cargo ships are usu ...
6,
petroleum tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk transport of oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quantities of unrefined cru ...
1, refrigerated cargo 2,
roll-on/roll-off ship Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...
1, short-sea/passenger 1


References


External links


History of railroad construction in Latvia

Ministry of Transport of Republic of Latvia

Transport in Latvia
{{Motorways in Europe