By reducing the price of railway subscriptions by 50% for three months, the goal is to increase the number of 30-day subscriptions by 100,000–200,000, said Minister of Transport Aitis Švinka in an interview on the "Morning Panorama" program on Wednesday, LETA reports.
He noted that Latvia has a well-developed railway network, and the number of passengers transported per resident is 11.4, while in Lithuania, for example, this figure is 2.1. "The train is one of the elements through which we can help a very large number of residents in the context of a price crisis," said Švinka.
The minister pointed out that currently, the monthly number of 30-day railway subscriptions is about 700,000, and the goal is to increase this number by 100,000–200,000, reaching 800,000–900,000 subscriptions.
On Tuesday, April 7, Švinka stated that in light of rising fuel prices, he would propose to reduce the cost of railway subscriptions by 50% for three months. The corresponding proposal will be submitted for consideration at the coalition meeting and the upcoming Cabinet meeting.
It was also reported that in 2025, "Pasažieru vilciens" transported a total of 21.333 million passengers, which is 9.7% more than the previous year.
On April 1 of this year, a law limiting fuel price increases came into effect, providing temporary measures to mitigate the impact of rising fuel prices on the economy and the population. However, fuel traders informed the LETA agency that the reduction in the excise tax on diesel fuel would be noticeable with some delay, as the new rate applies to fuel that starts being released from excise warehouses to gas stations on April 1.
The law provides for a temporary reduction in the excise tax on diesel fuel from the previous €467 to €396 per 1,000 liters. For marked diesel fuel used in agriculture, the rate is set at €21 per 1,000 liters. The reduced rates will be in effect from April 1 to June 30.
At the same time, despite the reduction in the excise tax on diesel fuel that took effect on April 1, the average prices for diesel fuel at the largest gas stations in Latvia remained almost unchanged, while gasoline prices continue to rise.
At the gas stations of "Neste Latvija" LLC, the price of diesel fuel on March 30 was €2.117 per liter, and on Wednesday it was €2.127 per liter. In turn, at the gas stations of the retail company "Circle K Latvia" LLC, the average price of diesel fuel on March 30 was €2.134 per liter, and now it is €2.144 per liter.
At the same time, the prices for 95-octane gasoline continue to rise. In particular, at the gas stations of "Circle K Latvia," the price of gasoline increased from €1.764 per liter on March 30 to €1.854 per liter, while at the gas stations of "Neste Latvija," it rose from €1.747 per liter to €1.837 per liter on Tuesday.
Leave a comment