Trains depart from Riga Central Station (Rīgas Centrālā dzelzceļa stacija) to all domestic and international destinations.
The station is located in the city center, a ten-minute walk from Old Riga. It can be seen from afar thanks to the clock tower.
The electric train is the simplest and cheap way get from Riga to any city in Latvia.
Ticket information
There are several types of railway tickets and subscriptions in Latvia.
Type of ticket | Validity period |
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One trip | Ticket "there" | Valid for travel on the specified date |
A round-trip ticket" |
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Luggage |
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Group (only at ticket offices) |
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Season tickets (can only be purchased at ticket offices from any day of the month) | Single for 5 days “there” | 5 days in a row in the specified direction |
Single for 5 days “round trip” | 5 days in a row in both directions |
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Single for 7 days “round trip” | 7 consecutive days in both directions |
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Monthly on weekdays in one direction | Valid for travel on weekdays in the specified direction |
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Monthly on weekdays | Valid for weekday travel in both directions |
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Full month | Valid for travel on every day of the month in both directions |
How to buy a ticket
Train tickets can be bought at the station (at ticket offices and ticket machines), on the train from the conductor (more expensive) and via SMS (for users of the Mobilly mobile service).
How to use the ticket
A paper ticket purchased at a ticket office or machine must be kept throughout the entire trip. While the train is moving, a conductor passes through the carriages and must present a ticket. He will leave a verification mark on the ticket. During the trip, the conductor may pass several times.
To present a ticket purchased via SMS, you just need to call or show the conductor the ticket number received in the message. The conductor will enter it into the database and mark it as verified.
To transport large luggage (size more than 40 x 60 x 20 cm), a bicycle or a large pet (cat, dog), you must purchase a baggage ticket.
Prices
Popular routes
Electric trains in Riga
To get an idea of the Latvian train, just remember the Russian one. Most carriages looks exactly like this. But there are also newer options with soft seats with headrests. In addition, almost all carriages are equipped with special racks for bicycles.
Each carriage has a train map showing all the stops. The names of stops are announced in Latvian. You can also check with the conductor for information about the stop you need.
Luxury carriages run on some routes. They provide free WiFi, electrical outlets, coat hangers, and the opportunity to purchase drinks.
You can get from Riga to Jurmala in 20-40 minutes by train or minibus for 1.4 €. There are only 25 km between Riga and Jurmala, which can be covered by renting a bicycle. The motor ship Riga-Jurmala also plies.
Minibus Riga - Jurmala
The schedule of buses and minibuses can be viewed. All of them pass through Jurmala. If you are going from the bus station by bus, then select the starting station Rigas SAO, if from the railway station Rigas MTS, final Lielupe or Dubulti. Fare from 1€.
Opposite the railway station (Rigas MTS) in Riga, several minibuses depart to Jurmala. During the season they run every 10-20 minutes, out of season and on weekdays much less often. Minibuses also depart to Jurmala from the bus station. You can pay directly in the minibus; tell the driver the final station, the price of the ticket depends on this.
Train from Riga to Jurmala
The train is the easiest way to get to Jurmala. The railway station is located next to the bus station and therefore, no matter how you arrive in Riga, it will not be difficult for you to find the railway station and go to Jurmala.
Tickets can be purchased at the box office; just name the final station. The only problem that may arise here is... There is no Jurmala station. Jurmala stretches along the coast and therefore there are several stations along its entire length. Here are the main stops:
- Lielupe— the first stop is in Jurmala, as soon as you cross the big bridge.
- Dzintari— next to the Dzintari concert hall, where events such as KVN And New wave.
- Majori- the very center of Jurmala, from here you can walk along the central Jomas street and see almost all the sights of Jurmala. It's mostly tourists who walk here if they're not on the beach; at the end of the street there is the well-known Globe.
- Dubulti- next stop after Majori, it's worth going here if you want to see Lutheran Church. You don’t have to go further if you are only interested in a walk around Jurmala and the sea itself.
Train schedule Riga - Jurmala - Riga
Train schedule from Riga to Jurmala you can look, select the starting point Riga, and the final one for example Tukums(this is the final stop of trains traveling towards Jurmala), but it is better to enter Dubulti if you don't go further.
Departure time: Electric trains depart every 25-30 minutes, from 6 am to 24 pm.
Fare: from 1.05 € to 1.4 € (1.05 € is the cost of tickets out of season and not during rush hour), if you buy round-trip tickets it will be cheaper. Tickets can be bought from the ticket inspector on the train, but they are more expensive. Tickets are valid until the end of the day for any train to the final station indicated on it. Tickets on the train are checked and punched by the controller.
How to take the right train? We look at the board showing all the trains with their final destination. Tukums, Sloka or Dubulti. These will be all the trains passing through Jurmala and all the stops listed above.
Excerpt from the Riga-Jurmala schedule
Speedboat Riga-Jurmala
The New Way boat is more of a tourist attraction than a transport, because... travel time is several hours. Cost 20-30€. Departure from Riga from the pier opposite the Riga Castle, in Jurmala from the pier Majori(Maori). The ship operates only in the summer during the tourist season from May 1 to September 30.
"LDZ" (Latvian: Latvijas dzelzceļš) is the state carrier of Latvia. The company was founded in 1994 on the basis of the Baltic railway USSR. Passenger transportation is carried out by a subsidiary organization - JSC "Pasažieru vilciens", founded in 2008.
The total length of railway tracks in Latvia is 2263 km, of which 249 km (11%) are electrified. Due to the relatively small railway network of domestic routes in the country, there are only 10. The busiest line in the country is the Riga - Jurmala section, several trains pass here every hour. In Latvia, the Russian gauge of 1520 mm is used, so there is no need to change wheelsets on wagons at the border.
Nowadays railway transport in Latvia is not very popular. Compared to the 1980s, passenger traffic has dropped significantly, many trains have been canceled and tracks have been dismantled. The reduction in routes in Latvia is the largest among the Baltic countries. Compared to 1991, the railway network has decreased by a third, and the length of passenger routes has halved. Due to a drop in passenger traffic and the amount of cargo transported, many branches were mothballed. It became unprofitable to maintain the infrastructure, cases of rail theft became more frequent, so the tracks were dismantled.
Today there is no direct connection from Riga with Vilnius and Tallinn, not to mention the countries Western Europe with a different track width. At the same time, the quality of the surviving tracks did not suffer, as happened, for example, in Azerbaijan.
The Riga railway junction suffered the least; traffic volumes here remained at the level of the 80s. In terms of the number of commuter trains, Riga retains first place in the Baltics. On the territory former USSR it is second only to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk and Kyiv. Approximately 70% of traffic falls on the Riga - Tukums line. Trains run here every half hour.
Most of the trains on the line are old, still Soviet made, but in good condition. They have undergone a major overhaul - they are equipped with soft seats and electronic displays. It's interesting that everyone commuter trains locally produced in Latvia. The Riga Carriage Works (RVZ) produced electric trains (ER series) and locomotives for the entire USSR. Other Baltic countries do not have their own production; they buy Czech and Polish-made trains.
International routes available are Riga - Moscow and Riga - Minsk (). Until 2017, there was a train from Riga to St. Petersburg. Now all that remains of it are trailer cars, which go with the Riga-Moscow train to the Novosokolniki station, and there they are coupled to the Gomel-St. Petersburg train.
The branded train (Riga - Moscow) runs daily. It has a large selection of classes of service - from a general carriage to a soft one. According to passenger reviews, this is a good train with a high level of comfort. The carriages are always clean, the conductors are polite. All types of carriages have air conditioning and a dry closet. Some of the train cars are new, some have been overhauled. Luxury (SV) and soft carriages are only new.
For the development of Latvia's transport network, the Rail Baltica railway is considered promising. That's why international project high-speed trains will run from Berlin to Helsinki: through Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. 265 km of the route will pass through the territory of Latvia. Initial speed train speed will be 120 km/h, then it is planned to increase it to 250 km/h. The project implementation agreement was signed in January 2017. Construction has not yet begun, it is planned to complete the main work by 2030.