Riga, Dec 19 (LETA) - The Transport Ministry plans to implement projects to improve the mobility of citizens in the coming year, the ministry informed LETA.

The ministry will continue the measures launched to implement the priorities - moving towards a green course, ensuring safety and accessibility, introducing good governance and strengthening international competitiveness.

To move towards a green course, the ministry will continue to develop public transport for citizens, strengthening railways as the backbone of public transport. Next year, EUR 159 million are earmarked for regional public transport.

The Transport Ministry's budget for 2026 maintains the subsidies for regional public transport at this year's level of EUR 93.8 million, with EUR 52 million planned for bus operators. Meanwhile, EUR 64.2 million is earmarked for ensuring the continuity of railway infrastructure operations and implementing infrastructure modernization projects next year.

Next year, the regional public transport route network will be redesigned, streamlined through real-time data analysis and re-routing, and a single ticketing system will be introduced. New principles for commercial routing will also be developed and the introduction of on-demand road transport services will be launched with EUR 36 million of investment from the European Social Fund to boost mobility in the country's sparsely populated areas.

The ministry will continue its efforts to improve the conditions for the provision of commercial transport by taxi and car as regards the operation of websites, while strengthening the social protection mechanism for workers.

With EUR 104.6 million of European Union (EU) funds, the Battery Electric Trains (BEMU) project will be implemented, which will provide train services on non-electrified railway sections until 2029. The BEMU electric trains will primarily be used to connect Riga and the country's outermost regions - provisionally on two routes, Riga-Cesis and Riga-Daugavpils, thus improving the mobility and connectivity of the regions with Riga.

The work of the ministry's companies and institutions will continue under the guidance of the Advisory Council for Mobility Equality and Accessibility to implement projects to ensure accessibility in public transport, informs the ministry.

The investment program for municipalities Station 2.0 (public transport connection points) is expected to move forward next year, with more than EUR 60 million of EU funding available for municipalities to implement projects. In the first selection round, EUR 10.8 million has been allocated to nine projects - eight in Riga and one in Cesis. In total, EUR 88 million is available for municipalities to implement the Station 2.0 concept, including EUR 75 million of EU funding.

The Recovery Fund will be used next year to complete the reform of making public transport in Riga and the Pieriga region greener, which includes the purchase of electric buses and charging stations, the creation of eight mobility points, the extension of tram line 7, the creation of 52 kilometers of cycling infrastructure and the completion of the southern part of Riga Central Station.

It is also planned to launch the creation of a single multi-modal public transport route network in the Riga metropolitan area, with common route planning, financing and ordering principles, harmonized timetables, a common fares and discount policy, and a single ticket.

Next year, the Transport Ministry's budget - the total planned funding for the development of the transport and communications sector - will be EUR 805.4 million, including EUR 311 million of EU funds. The Ministry will continue the work and reforms it has undertaken to implement its priorities of moving towards a green course, ensuring the mobility, safety and accessibility of citizens, as well as strengthening the sector's competitiveness and boosting exports.