More shortcomings found on Latvian new trains

The tiny droplets that form on individual windows on electric trains cannot be wiped away from the inside or the outside. They form between the panes. One of the windows has only partially fogged up, while another has fogged up completely. According to Latvian Radio, the windows fog up in warm weather as well as in cold weather.

"One of the reasons could be, but these are hypotheses, they need to be checked, that these windows that have condensation have lost their sealing because the double glazing is actually two parallel glass surfaces with gas between them. It is designed in such a way that outside air cannot get in," says Andris Jakovičs, head of the laboratory at the Institute of Numerical Modelling at the University of Latvia, admitting that the gas between the windows may not have existed in the first place.

"If what I am talking about is the cause of the fogging, then it is essentially a major quality defect in the manufacturer's product. This defect can be caused by a failure to observe the production technology, and it can also be caused, incidentally, during transport, i.e. if the package or the window is deformed in some way. It's hard to say."

Vivi admits that they are aware of the defects and have already informed the manufacturer, which has started replacing the windows during the warranty period. 

"Basically, it is a shortcoming in the technological production process of the windows. The defect did not appear immediately, but mostly during operation, when the train has covered a certain mileage. These are several dozen windows for which we have information. If we compare it with the total number of windows, which is almost 3000, we could not say that this is a common problem in all trains," explains Edgars Butāns, spokesman for Vivi.

Butāns also stresses that the windows do not affect the safety of the journey. The manufacturer has committed to replacing all the defected windows by the end of November.