As Lithuania seeks to construct bomb shelters in all new apartment blocks, real estate developers argue it would be more rational to build a metro network, which could shelter thousands.
For decades, Vilnius has been toying with the idea of building a metro system. In all cases, the initiative ground to a halt.
Supporters argue that the project would attract millions in investment and the new transport system would free the city from congestion. Critics, however, argue that Vilnius is too small to make the project viable.
Now, however, the scene of millions sheltering in Ukraine’s metro system has shown the dual use of an underground transit system.
“It is much more expensive to maintain separate shelters in places where there is a high concentration of people,” Dalius Gedvilas, head of the Lithuanian Builders' Association, told LRT RADIO. “I understand that this is a huge infrastructure structure, but Lithuanian builders and contractors have built such projects in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.”
According to Gedvilas, a shelter can protect people for a few hours, while a metro would provide security for a longer period. The war in Ukraine shows that people have to hide for days at a time.
In Ukraine, the metro shelters have drinking water, fuel storage, and electricity generators, Gedvilas said.
“Civil protection is not just about staying awake for a few hours while there is danger. I think it would require a complex solution, a strategic solution,” he added.
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“If we started designing a metro in Vilnius today, it would probably only take 10 to 12 years,” said Gedvilas. “In 2035, there is a good chance that we would have a structure that would protect a large part of Lithuania’s citizens and visitors.”
Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the head of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence (NSGK), said he supports the idea of a metro.
“I belonged to the Metro Movement, which was active in the Seimas in the last term,” said Kasčiūnas. “In some countries, the metro is first of all a civil protection object, and then it is a matter of infrastructure for transport.”
“I would certainly welcome a serious, calculated debate on a metro project in Vilnius. I certainly have a completely different view than I had 3 to 4 years ago,” he added.
In 2018, the parliament adopted the Metropolitan Implementation Law, paving the way for private investors to start building the metro. These construction regulations came into force in early 2020.
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