Latvian railroad preparing to ship Ukrainian grain this fall

MOSCOW. Aug 15 (Interfax) - Latvian Railways (Latvijas dzelzcels - LDz) is considering the possibility of shipping Ukrainian grain in the fall of 2023, the company's chairman of the board Rinalds Plavnieks said in an interview with Latvian Radio, which was quoted by Delfi.lt., followed by Ukrainian media.

He noted that he was previously skeptical about the possibilities of shipping Ukrainian grain by rail via Latvia.

"Before the summer of this year, I was absolutely skeptical about this issue and believed that it is impossible on an industrial scale," Plavnieks said, explaining that it is necessary to carry out two transshipments in this kind of transportation.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the technological capabilities of logistics and transshipment have developed so much that the transshipment process can be much more prompt. "Now there is an opportunity for Ukrainian grain transportation," Plavnieks said.

About 500,000 to one million tonnes of Ukrainian grain could be delivered across Latvia in a year, he said. These prospects were discussed last week at a meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador to Latvia, and the company's employees also paid a working visit to Ukraine.

Plavnieks admitted that LDz could be involved in the grain transportation from Ukraine as early as this fall.

LDz is operating the public railroad infrastructure and is a holding company of the group. The group also includes LatRailNet, which sets infrastructure fees and distributes the throughput capacity of railway infrastructure, LDz Cargo, which provides rail freight and international passenger transportation, LDz Rolling Stock Service, a rolling stock repair and maintenance company, LDz Security, a security company, and LDz logistika, a logistics company.