Vilnius Metro

Vilnius Metro (Lithuanian: Vilniaus metropolitenas) is a proposed rapid transit system in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Three lines are currently proposed to connect the busiest and most populous city districts.[1][2] Its purpose is the relief of traffic congestion, which increased significantly in the 1990s and 2000s.[3][4]

Vilnius Metro
Overview
Locale	Vilnius, Lithuania
Transit type	Rapid transit
Number of lines	3
System map

Although test drilling for a proposed Vilnius Metro had been conducted along a 50 metre stretch of Gediminas Avenue near the city's main railway station during the Soviet era,[5] the current proposal dates to 2001 when then-Mayor of Vilnius Artūras Zuokas requested international support for a feasibility study of the proposed system. The proposal was approved as part of the city's master plan by the Vilnius Municipal Council in 2002.[6] Systra was chosen by the city as a study partner; the Scott Wilson Group conducted a public-private financing feasibility study during 2005 and 2006.[7][8]

As of 2007, the project was the subject of intense debate by politicians and citizens. The concerns include cost (an estimated 890 million Euros), the possibility that vibrations would damage the historic buildings in Vilnius Old Town, and the perception that streets would be closed.[9] The project was accepted by the Lithuanian government on a concession basis in 2014,[10] but the Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė placed a veto on the law.[11]

In 2018 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania enacted a new act of metro development that went into effect on 1 January 2020.[12] This act allows private investors to start construction of metro transit systems in Lithuania. The projects would have to be implemented by municipalities, which would be able to buy up to 50 per cent of shares of the construction companies. The projects would be developed in partnership or concession of the state and private companies.[13]