Strenči to build new railway stop closer to town centre

Strenči plans to build a new railway stop closer to the town centre, with more than 1.5 million euros going towards new stops and surrounding infrastructure, LSM reports. Latvijas dzelzceļš hopes the move will increase passenger numbers.

The existing stop is about a kilometre from the centre. Trains stop there three times a day, but the stop has only a few benches and no other facilities. The old station building no longer serves passengers and stands on the outskirts, surrounded by forest.

“People are afraid to go into the forest outside the town. We have gradually developed infrastructure, including a path and lighting, but it is still far away, inconvenient and not suited to modern needs,” said Jānis Pētersons, head of the Strenči administration.

Latvijas dzelzceļš will build the platform, while the municipality will be responsible for the surrounding infrastructure. The planned cost of the project is up to 692,000 euros.

The first railway station in Strenči was built in 1889. Railways played an important role in the town’s development for decades, including in the timber industry and freight transport. The station building was destroyed during the Second World War, and the current building was built in 1983. Pētersons said people gather at the old station once a year to remember residents from the surrounding area who were taken to northern Russia.