Lukashenko: We will consider building above-ground metro

On December 30, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced plans to connect satellite cities with Minsk with an above-ground metro, BELTA reports.

Alexander Lukashenko recalled that in the 1990s, he was offered to close and not build the subway, since it was very expensive. "I must tell you that I seriously thought about it, because there was no money. But the Lord then advised me, I said: "No, we will build a meter a year, a day, and so on, but we must preserve Metrostroy." Because this is a school. If we had closed it then, today everyone would have scattered, young people would not go to the underground construction here. And we would not know how to build a subway. Not many countries are engaged in such underground construction. It is difficult, this is a school. You know better than me. Therefore, having preserved the metro at the time, we have the opportunity to build expensive kilometers ourselves. But we are doing it and will do it," the Belarusian leader emphasized.

In this regard, the President told what additional volumes of work the subway builders will have to do, in addition to the metro itself. This is connected with the development of satellite cities of Minsk and transport links with the capital. "We will not build up Minsk, as other cities do, and expand beyond the ring road - Minsk will suffocate. As I said, Minsk residents will be disgusted to live in this city. Therefore, a decision has been made that we will build satellite cities. You know them - Logoisk, Dzerzhinsk, Smolevichi. But they need to be connected by high-speed highways. Therefore, we will plan and look into building a surface metro (not underground). Who will do it? You will do it," the Belarusian leader said.

"Therefore, your team today is only the beginning. We need to double, we need to pay more attention to the construction of the metro,” the head of state added.