In nine months of this year the activity of transport field in general was successful. The volume of freights transported both by rail, and by road have grown. But the number of passengers carried by road and by urban electrified transport has decreased.
38.5 mln tons of freight were carried by rail in nine months of 2007, an increase of 2.8 % compared to nine months of previous year, according to the Central Statistical Bureau.
The volume of national freights carried by rail constituted 1.5 mln tons, 13.7% less compared to the nine months of previous year. But international freight transportation by rail has increased. In nine months of 2007 in international transportation by rail 37 mln tons of freights were transported – 3.7% more compared to the January – September 2006. 77.2% of the total international freight haulage was accounted for by transportation through ports. 27.5 mln tons of freight were transported by rail to ports, an increase of 4.4 % compared to the nine months of previous year. By contrast, freight carried by rail from the ports has increased by 2.4% in comparison with the January - September of previous year and represented 1 mln tons of freight.
2007. In nine months of 2007 the number of freights carried by road increased. Totally 46.3 mln tons of freights were transported, an increase of 5.5 mln tons or 13.6% compared to the January – September of previous year.
The bulk (86.8%) of the total volume of freight was carried by the national transport totalling 40.2 mln tons of freight, an increase of 12% on the nine months of 2006. Significantly have increased international road transportation. 6.1 mln tons of freight were carried by international road transport in nine months of 2007 and this is 25.3 % more than in the relevant period of previous year. Of the freight carried by international road transport the highest increase was in the volume of import freight carried. The volume of import freight carried by road in nine months of 2007 was 2.1 mln tons, what is 51 % more compared to nine months of previous year. The volume of export freight carried by road in nine months of 2007 was 2.7 mln tons, what is 8.8% more compared to nine months of previous year. Also, the volume of freight carried in foreign countries by the lorries registered in Latvia has increased. In nine months of 2007 1.3 mln tons were carried in foreign countries by the lorries registered in Latvia, an increase of 29 % of the corresponding period of previous year.
The freights carried by road are in transport on own account and in transport for hire or reward. In the January - September of 2007 the volume of freights for hire or reward reached 66.7 % from the total number of freights by road. In January – September 2007 30.9 mln tons of the freight was carried for hire or reward, which is 1.5 times more on the corresponding period of the previous year. The bulk of this freight (81.4 %) was carried by the national transport.
In the nine months of 2007 33.3% of the freight was carried by road for own account. Totally it comprised 15.4 mln tons of freights, a decrease of 15.9% on January – September 2006. Of the total own account freight haulage 97.6% were carried by the national transport.
In the August 2006 the oil transporting by oil pipeline was fully stopped. But the volume of oil transported by oil pipeline in nine months of 2007 has decreased. In first six months of 2007 by the oil products pipeline 3.5 mln tons of oil products were transported, a decrease of 3.7 % on the corresponding period of previous year.
In January – September 2007 the number of passengers carried by rail increased. 20.8 mln passengers used this mode of transport, an increase of 2.9% compared to the 9 months of 2006. The increase of passengers carried by rail was determined by the increase of passengers carried by rail both in national transport and international transport. 20.5 mln passengers used railway, an increase of 2.9% compared to the 9 months of 2006. 0.3 mln passengers were, in turn, carried by the international rail transport, up by 3.6% compared to the January – September of last year.
Compared to the nine months of 2006, passenger transport by road in nine months of 2007 decreased. In January-September 2007 regular bus traffic lines carried 146 mln passengers, down by 6.5% compared to nine months of 2006. The majority of these passengers (99.7%) were carried by the national bus traffic. Compared to nine months of 2006, the number of passengers carried by the national bus transport has decreased by 6.5 %. The majority (76.5 %) of the total number of passengers carried by the national bus transport was carried by urban bus routes. Compared to the January – September of 2006, in nine months of 2007 the passenger transportation by international buses has decreased by 21.3 %.
135.6 mln passengers were carried by urban electrified transport, a decrease of 0.8% on nine months of 2006. 68.7 mln passengers were carried by tram; up by 0.2% on January - September 2006, and 66.9 mln passengers were carried by trolley bus, comprising a decrease of 1.9 %.