Latvian Railway is one of the largest enterprises in Latvia employing over 12 400 people and with annual revenues of nearly 300 million EUR. The company is one of the biggest tax-payers in Latvia and thus influential in the economic development of the state.
Since the mid-19th century railways have been an essential part of Latvian transportation infrastructure. Initially, Latvian railway was the final section of the extensive railway network built by the Tsarist Russian Empire. From 1940 till 1991, when Latvia was annexed to the Soviet Union, Latvian Railway was part of the Baltic railway network. Now Latvian Railway is a driving-force of the growing Latvian economy connecting the Eastern (Russian and CIS) and Western (EU) markets.
Safety and ecological criteria rank railways as the best land transport. International cargo transportation constitutes about 85% of the turnover of Latvian Railway. The company continually improves the existing railway infrastructure and invests in new technologies for building rolling stock. The company’s cargo turnover amounts to 50 000 tonnes per year. The cargo such as petroleum, petroleum products, mineral fertilizers and coal are mainly transported along the East-West axis of the railway network.
As to passenger transportation, Latvian Railway operates within Latvia and outside - to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia and Lithuania.
Latvian Railway is a concern type of an enterprise comprising the parent state stock company Latvijas Dzelzceļš (Latvian Railway) and subsidiaries: LDz Cargo (cargo transportation), LDz Infrastruktūra (railway infrastructure development), LDz Ritošā sastāva serviss (building of rolling stock) and LDz Apsardze (safety and security).
To ensure maximally efficient and competitive transport services, LDz Cargo has established a daughter company – LDz Cargo Loģistika (Cargo Logistics) which provides cargo expediting and transport services based on an integrated, intermodal system (using different means of transport and infrastructure) of door-to-door transportation domestically and internationally.
