Compared to 2019 under the impact of Covid-19, passenger traffic by all modes of transport fell significantly in 2020.
Covid-19 pandemic and related movement restrictions determined drop of passenger traffic by all modes of transport, according to data composed by the Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia.
In 2020, the number of passengers carried by land passenger transport comprised 152.1 million passengers, down by 36.4%.
The number of passengers carried by rail transport comprised 12.9 million, a drop of 30.9%. Number of passengers carried by national transport reduced by 30.4%, but the number of passengers carried by international transport reduced by 85.6%.
86.8 million passengers were carried by regular bus traffic lines, down by 38%. Number of passengers carried in national lines reduced by 38%, while the number of passengers carried in international lines reduced by 45.8%.
The number of passengers carried by urban electrified transport comprised 52.4 million passengers, a drop of 35.1%.
The largest impact of Covid-19 on passenger transport by land was in the second quarter of 2020, when the number of passengers reduced by 64%. In Q3 2020, compared to Q3 2019, situation improved and the number of passengers dropped by 25.5%. Under the impact of the second wave of pandemic, the number of passengers in Q4 2020 fell by 42.1%.
In 2020, 466.3 thousand passengers arrived at and departed from Latvian ports, down by 56.5%. Passenger turnover at Riga Passenger Terminal comprised 278.8 thousand passengers, down by 65.1%, at Ventspils port – 155.8 thousand passengers, down by 32.9%, and at Liepaja port – 31.7 thousand passengers, down by 20.6%.
Cancellation of international passenger traffic during the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected passenger turnover at ports. Mostly Riga Passenger Terminal was affected by the change in the number of passengers, as ferries scheduled were mainly oriented to passenger traffic. Thus, in Q2 2020 passenger turnover in ferry traffic reduced by 95.2%, as traffic of ferries between Riga and Stockholm was closed, allowing just a couple of repatriation trips. In Q3 2020, situation at Riga Passenger Terminal improved, as new ferry routes to Helsinki and Mariehamn in Finland were launched and, therefore, number of passengers increased and its drop in Q3 2020 was 39.6%. In Q4 2020, all ferry traffic was closed gradually, therefore, a fall of passenger turnover reached 98.9%. (BNN/Business World Magazine)