When the new electric trains started running last December, many cyclists were surprised to find that there were no places to park their bikes on the new trains. Vivi said they were not included in the project from the start, promising that they would be installed in the summer.
In January, the Ministry of Transport said that all 32 trains would have bicycle racks by the end of the summer, but it is now known that only the first trainsets will have bicycle racks by the end of summer. All 32 Škoda trains will have them in place by May next year, said Ģirts Dubkēvičs (Progressives), Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Transport:
"Škoda is currently very actively working on the delivery of electric trains to Latvia. We are waiting for additional trains, which we plan to receive according to the contract. It is clear that any kind of change or additional request also requires time for Škoda's representative to understand this and accept the final technical solution, and accordingly agree on their final financial offer. Of course, there are some procedures, the procurement procedure. The biggest problem with this is that it is a historical mistake. We are correcting it as quickly as we can."
The Ministry of Transport said that the technical solution has been agreed with the NGOs, it has been accepted and the procurement is currently underway. A contract will be signed later and the bike racks will be manufactured.
While at the beginning of the year, it was estimated that each train would have eight bicycle racks, now the plan is to have space for 12 racks.
"Passengers will basically be able to choose whether to park two bikes vertically and the other four horizontally, or all four bikes vertically using the hooks provided. Two of the hooks will be for children's bicycles, while the [other] two will be for adult bicycles. The manufacturer recommended not to install bicycle racks in the mid-cars of the electric trains, citing the constructional details of the mid-cars. Therefore, it is planned to have bicycle racks only in the two head cars," said Edgars Butāns, spokesman for Vivi.
This means that eight bicycles can be carried in the vertical position only, and 12 bicycles can be carried in the combination of the horizontal and vertical positions.
The number of seats on the trains will remain the same, but if the bicycles are placed on folding seats, the capacity on the trains will be lower.
The cost of installing cycle racks has risen by €176,000 to €1.2 million from the €1.024 million originally forecast, while the cost of a single cycle rack has fallen from €4,000 to €3,125.
