BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16. On Tuesday,
October 14, the Latvian government reviewed an informational report
from the Ministry of Transport on co-funding for the state-owned
railway company Latvijas dzelzceļš (Latvian Railway) and approved a
2.98 million euros contribution from the state budget, Trend reports.
The funding is part of the European Climate, Infrastructure and
Environment Executive Agency’s (CINEA) Connecting Europe Facility
(CEF) program and serves as a key precondition for receiving EU
financial support.
The project aims to modernize Latvia’s railway digital
management system and promote integration into the unified European
rail network.
Moreover, the project, titled “Implementation of Digital
Capacity Management”, seeks to introduce a Digital Capacity
Management (DCM) model in line with European Union priorities. It
involves the development and deployment of three core digital
systems.
The first system focuses on capacity planning, ensuring
connectivity with the European RailNetEurope (RNE) platforms to
improve capacity planning and allocation processes.
The second system will enhance digital infrastructure data
management, while the third will introduce a transportation
management platform that includes a shared rolling stock database
across the Baltic states—improving coordination and efficiency for
both passenger and freight transport.
The total project cost amounts to 5.97 million euros, with 50
percent financed by the Connecting Europe Facility and 50 percent
by the Latvian state budget.
By implementing the Digital Capacity Management project,
Latvia’s railway system will transition from outdated, manual
operations to a coordinated, interoperable, and fully digital
model. The project will also align with EU requirements for
cybersecurity, data exchange, and IT architecture, while
strengthening operational resilience and overall safety in the
national rail system.
The initiative is being developed in cooperation with rail
infrastructure managers from 11 European countries — Latvia,
Estonia, Lithuania, Sweden, Germany, Portugal, France, Slovenia,
the Czech Republic, Denmark, and Austria. Submitted to the European
Commission as a joint project, it aims to ensure full compatibility
and interoperability of rail IT systems across Europe.
The project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2029.