The Ministry of Transport (MoT), with co-financing from European Union (EU) funds, has launched a digital campaign aimed at showcasing travel opportunities across Latvia by electric train in an engaging and entertaining way. The campaign aims to raise young people's awareness of sustainable mobility and of the contribution of EU funds to the development of railway infrastructure.The campaign is aimed at young people.
"Vivi electric trains offer convenient and comfortable travel, which is important both for everyday mobility and leisure trips. Through this campaign, we aim to encourage young people to travel by electric train, as Latvia has so many wonderful and interesting places to discover and experience, all of them close by and easy to reach. Electric trains provide a convenient starting point for excursions and other leisure activities. In addition, they are environmentally friendly, which is an important consideration for many young people," explains Elīna Šimiņa-Neverovska, Deputy State Secretary at the MoT.
Train travel is highly popular across Europe, and passenger numbers have continued to grow in recent years, as rail transport is reliable, cost-effective and helps avoid road congestion. According to the latest Eurostat data, EU residents make approximately 8.7 billion train journeys each year, covering more than 444 billion passenger-kilometres in total. On average, each EU resident travels around 1,000 kilometres by train annually.
Latvia has also seen record growth in rail passenger numbers in recent years, reaching 21.33 million passengers last year, an increase of nearly 10% (1.9 million passengers) compared with the previous year. During the first seven months of this year alone, 12 million passengers have already been transported. The modern and comfortable Vivi electric trains have played a significant role in this growth. Furthermore, train punctuality remains at an outstanding level, exceeding 97-98%, placing Latvia among the most punctual rail operators in Europe. A passenger survey conducted by Vivi shows that young people are active train users, with passengers aged under 24 accounting for 25% of all train travellers.
The campaign "Next Stop: A Day Off. Hop On. Hop Off. Explore!" is primarily implemented through digital channels and features travel stories created by influencers, as well as a digital guessing game presented also as a public event during European Mobility Week. The campaign activities are scheduled to take place from August to November this year.