This article provides an overview of the transport infrastructure of Latvia.
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
Number E-road Route Length (km) A1 Rīga - Ainaži (EE border)101 A2 Rīga - Sigulda - Veclaicene (EE border)196 A3 Inčukalns - Valmiera - Valka (EE border)101 A4 Rīga ring road (Baltezers - Saulkalne)20 A5 Rīga ring road (Salaspils - Babīte)40 A6 Rīga - Daugavpils - Krāslava - Pāternieki (BY border)307 A7 Rīga - Bauska - Grenctāle (LT border)85 A8 Rīga - Jelgava - Meitene (LT border)76 A9 Rīga - Skulte - Liepāja199 A10 Rīga - Ventspils190 A11 Liepāja - Rucava (LT border)57 A12 Jēkabpils - Rēzekne - Ludza - Terehova (RU border)166 A13 Grebņeva (RU border) - Rēzekne - Daugavpils - Medumi (LT border)163 A14 Daugavpils ring road (Tilti - Kalkūne)15 A15 Rēzekne ring road7
Length of the road system RoadsPaved, kmUnpaved, kmTotal, kmState-owned roadsHighways (A)1651.1 -1651.1Regional roads (P)4189.91127.55317.4Local roads (V)2616.710533.413150.1Municipality-owned roadsRoads1055.629593.530649.1Streets4588.23446.48034.6Other roadsForest roads -1014210142Private house roads50030003500Total14601.557842.872444.3
Railways
Latvian Railways is the main state-owned railway company in Latvia. It's 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 between Gulbene 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 rail
Vivi is the only passenger-carrying operator in Latvia.
Domestic passenger lines with current service are: Torņakalns – Tukums II Railway Riga – Jelgava Railway Jelgava – Liepāja Railway Riga – Daugavpils Railway Krustpils – Rēzekne – Zilupe (border of Russia) Rīga – Sigulda – Cēsis – Valmiera – Valga (border of Estonia) Zemitāni – Skulte Railway Pļaviņas – Gulbene
Rail links with adjacent countries
Russia - yes 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 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, 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 (Freeport of Riga and Riga Passenger Terminal), Ventspils (Free port of Ventspils), and Liepāja (Port of Liepāja). 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 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 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off ship 1, short-sea/passenger 1
References
External links History of railroad construction in Latvia Ministry of Transport of Republic of Latvia Transport in Latvia