The Public Utilities Commission of Latvia on Friday approved new railroad rates for the year 2009.
The previous rates took effect in spring 2007 and, due to the increasing costs reported by the state-owned joint-stock railroad company Latvijas dzelzcels (LDz), the railroad infrastructure payments will be raised by an average 15% next year – 13.6% for freight transportation and 17.7% for passenger transportation, reports LETA.
The increase in the railroad rates endorsed by the Public Utilities Commission is smaller than that requested by LDz because, since LDz submitted the new rates at end-September, the situation in the national economy has changed significantly.
The new railroad infrastructure payments approved by the Public Utilities Commission are as follows: LVL 6.45 per kilometer for freight trains, and LVL 3.3 to LVL 3.9 per kilometer for passenger trains.