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The statistical data on volumes of Latvian freight traffic, principal groups of cargoes, and countries of transport from 2000 to 2007 had been investigated and analyzed in the paper. The special attention has been given to road transportations, but also rail transportations have been considered, as the carried out analysis has shown that freight traffic by road transport have made approximately 49 % from total amount of transportations in the country, and by rail - 51 % from 2000 to 2007. The road transport dominates in national freight traffic, but the leader in international freight traffic is rail transport. To analyze existing tendencies of freight traffic, have been created trend models -- logarithmic trend model for internal road transportations in Latvia, and power trend models to export and import traffic by road transport in time from1997 to 2007. These models can be used for forecasting of freight flows in the future. For a basis of forecasting of road freight traffic is accepted increment rate of gross domestic product, the analysis has shown that usually gross domestic product is the defining factor for change of freight transportation volumes by road transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the actual situation in Latvia concerning the transport terminal establishment. It presents the theoretical base of the terminal establishment, i. e. transport infrastructure survey, transportation analysis. Location is a key factor for all the transport operators whose main activity is moving freight from one place to another one using different modes of transport. Reduction of the delivery time is one of the elements that could make the important difference when a transport operator is being chosen. That is why transport terminal must be located in hub points of transport and distribution activities. Decisions on terminal placing are extremely important, as they influence indicators of its activity for many years. The method of nonlinear programming for the decision of a problem of an optimal location transport terminal in Latvia is offered in this work. Basic difference of the given method consists in use of nonlinear criterion function in which except distances to the client points connected with the terminal, specific features of a transport infrastructure are considered. For a finding of coordinates of an optimal location of the transport terminal in Latvia is used gradient method. The evaluation of locations for establishment of terminals in Latvia is presented. These terminals will be the first transport terminals in Latvia established according to contemporary requirements and will provide necessary co-operation with big trading companies and other terminals in and out Europe and Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]