Latvian cabinet approves EUR 784m rail development plan to 2029

By 2029, 70% of passenger infrastructure is to be modernised and 330 km (64%) of the overhead line network renewed or newly built, with the remaining 188 km (36%) following by 2034; investment goes first to heavily used passenger lines, since passenger services account for 80% of network use.

On 11 November 2025 the Latvian cabinet approved the preliminary plan for rail infrastructure in 2025–2029; the EUR 784 million comes from EU funds, the recovery fund, the Connecting Europe Facility, the Social Climate Fund and money from Latvijas dzelzceļš (LDz). Because 80% of network use is passenger traffic and only 20% freight, funds go first to heavily used passenger lines: by 2029, 70% of passenger infrastructure is to be modernised and 330 km of overhead line (64%) renewed or newly built, with the remaining 188 km following by 2034. The plan also provides for 140 km/h on electrified lines, the first phase of Rail Baltica and dry ports for moving freight from road to rail; it assumes about 30 million passengers in 2034, and a multi-year contract between the transport ministry and LDz is to govern funding. (LOK Report, 17 Nov 2025)