factsheet 10
improved public transport system for the municipalities of Pieriga - example Tukums

Description of the project

Improving of existing public transport system in municipalities of Pieriga region, what will make easier and more effective access to Riga by PT. Changing schedule and improving ticket services for PT are the main activities.

Objectives of the project

Create a public transport system in each municipality of Pieriga region in addition to the railway network and fast buses to Riga, what will provide easy, effective and attractive access to Riga by public transport and also getting back from Riga for employees and students.

Decrease the use of private cars, what causes decrease of CO2 emissions, congestion and other externalities.

Dependencies

Existing PT services and travel times in Tukums region are not attractive for local citizens who live in rural areas for travelling to Riga for work or studies. Meaning that many people find prices too high and time schedule of PT does not let them get till Riga before 8am or 9am. Also arriving from Riga after 5pm or 6pm (departure time from Riga) till rural areas by PT is not possible. Need to improved after research how many inhabitants actually need it.

Designissues

Tukums central bus and train station must become a transfer point with P+R facilities for traveling from rural areas and Tukums town to Riga city and back. Weakness of existing PT(bus and train) from Tukums till Riga and back is the travel time (from 1:10 till 1:30hours) and also the price of tickets (they are from 1.39Ls till 2.70Ls).

The table on next page shows that living in rural areas, working in Riga and traveling by PT is not possible. Existing public transport system is oriented to pupils and employees who work in Tukums and other citizens who are going to Tukums to get necessary services (hospitals, banks, state land services and others).

Table 01 - Existing availability of public transport in Tukums region for getting to and back from Riga
Zentene / Sēme / Pūre / Jaunsāti / Irlava / Lestene / Džūkste / Slampe
Work time in Riga
8.00-17.00 / train leaves from Tukums 5.53,bus 6.15 / first bus arrives in Tukums / 7.47am / 7.47am / 6.30am / 7.40am / 7.27am, 7.41am / 7.48am / 7.19am, 7.26am / 7.21am
arrive in Tukums from Riga 18.48 by train, 19.05 by bus / last bus leaves from Tukums / 17.30 / 17.30 / 23.45 / 17.20 / 18.38 / 17.20 / 17.30 / 19.25
9.00-18.00 / train leaves from Tukums 6.33,bus 7.30 / first bus arrives in Tukums / 7.47am / 7.47am / 6.30am / 7.40am / 7.27am, 7.41am / 7.48am / 7.19am, 7.26am / 7.21am
arrive in Tukums from Riga 20.16 by train, 19.38 or 20.11 by bus / last bus leaves from Tukums / 17.30 / 17.30 / 23.45 / 17.20 / 18.38 / 17.20 / 17.30 / 19.25
price for PT during one month (21 working day) / by train / 130,20Ls / 98,70Ls / 119,70Ls / 142,80Ls / 111,30Ls / 119,70Ls / 126,00Ls / 108,15Ls
by bus / 144,90Ls / 113,40Ls / 100,80Ls / 157,50Ls / 126,00Ls / 134,40Ls / 140,70Ls / 122,85Ls
can or can not travel till and back from Riga for working or studies / can not / can not / can / can not / can not / can not / can not / can if on morning uses car

First step is to explore the demand for PT to and from the transferpoints at stations with regional express train service (planned): what people could profit from shorter travel times when using this new bus-train connection?, Can this be integrated in existing bus lines by redirecting and connecting these lines on the trains in the station? If not what is the potential for new lines? And when there seems to be too few people for operating a bus line the use of private car or (in summer season) bike till transfer point Tukums central station is best solution (P&R).

Second step is to create a fast regional express train (RE1). This will make it possible to shorten travel times to and from Riga significantly, already for existing passengers, but also to make it more attractive to others. In principle all stops of these RE1 train can be a new transfer point between bus, car and train. For Tukums travel time to and from Riga should be around 50-55minutes, the service should be at least operated in peak hours (arriving in Riga around 7.40am, 8:10 and 8:40) and in the evening (leaving from Riga around 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18.30), but better operated whole day as included in the train network as described in the RPMP. New services like WiFi, drinks or stands for bicycles could make the service even more attractive.

Third step is to create new lines that will provide availability by PT for working and studying in Riga. An idea of this network for the Tukums Region is shown in the map on next page.

A precondition for success is that there is no need for people to buy several separate tickets. Therefore the ticketing systems must be transformed in an integrated ticketing system that makes it possible to use one ticket for: local/regional bus till Tukums, train or bus till Riga, PT in Riga. That will make traveling by PT easier and cheaper.

The demand for local PT should be evaluated on a regular basis, with the help of an audit and/or a short survey among users. Also, among the public, information and education about PT advantages and long term effects on environment should be provided.

Map of possible feeder buslines for reaching Riga by PT.

Measures included

  1. Survey about need for travelling to Riga by PT from rural areas;
  2. Creation of new PT feeder bus lines, preferably based on adapted existing services;
  3. Making shorter travel time from transfer point Tukums I bus and train station till Riga;
  4. Implementing of new services on trains;
  5. Changing ticketing.

Stages (short, medium, long term)

Short termsurvey about need for travelling to Riga by PT from rural areas, evaluation of PT schedules and available services, proposal of improvements;

Medium termcreation of Regional Express train (RE1), creation and implementation of new feeder bus lines, changing ticketing, optimization of travel times, implementation of new services on PT;

Long termimplementation of complete PT system in all municipalities of Pieriga region.

Side effects

More effectiveness of investments in train system, more revenues due to more passengers.

It will cause centralisation of economics of Latvia, meaning everybody will travel for work to Riga. But in existing situation is better than increase of unemployment.

Cost category

Survey – EUR 50000,--

Detailing new feeder buslines – EUR 10.000,-- per line

Improved train services and changing the ticketing system are already part of other projects in the RPMP.

Stakeholders involved

Regional municipalities, Public transport operators

Recommendations

Describe the areas that could profit from the reformed regional train system, offering more and faster train connections to and from Riga. Involve the consequences of the proposed closing of some stations in Pieriga in the survey for improved PT in rural area’s in Pieriga.

Survey about the demand for PT (from rural areas till Riga and back) is the first thing to be done in all municipalities of Pieriga region.

Only on results of this survey any activities can be started for changing existing system.

Municipalities have to concentrate on P+R at their central stations if survey shows no demand for new PT lines for rural areas.