Rodžers Jānis Grigulis, chairman of the board of JSC “Pasazieru Vilciens” operating under the Vivi brand, admitted that technical issues were expected, but there were no plans to face so many problems.
A single online database, synchronous communication with passengers is to be implemented by tomorrow, as decided by Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens (Progressives) and other responsible parties – the Road Transport Administration, Latvian Railways, and Vivi.
It was also decided that the parties involved should submit proposals for alternative transport solutions within four days. In the meantime, if there are any train problems, the company advises passengers to select other modes of transportation, including taxis, and the receipts will be able to be submitted to Vivi for refunds, although there is no clarity yet on how exactly this would work.
As reported earlier by LSM, it was found on Tuesday, January 2, that five of the total seventeen electric trains delivered to Latvia by Skoda Vagonka had different deficiencies. The defects on one of the trains resulted in a three-hour standstill on the Rīga-Skulte line, and on Wednesday, although issues were said to have been fixed on three trains, traffic was still delayed by up to an hour on the same line due to the same reasons.
