Secret Soviet Bunker soon to be dismantled at the Riga railway station

On the construction site of the Rail Baltica Central Station project, the BERERIX teams are getting ready to dismantle a bunker built during the Soviet occupation years. This historic shelter has been a secret place for many years and is part of Latvian railway history. Artefacts collected from the bunker will be displayed at the city’s museum.

The bunker is located just next to Riga’s central railway station and the building that houses the Ministry of Transport. Underground tunnels are connecting the bunker to both buildings.

Today, the location is a busy site, as BERERIX, the joint-venture of BESIX and Sia RERE BŪVE, is laying the foundations of a complete overhaul of the station. The works are part of a major infrastructure project financed by the European Union and the Republic of Latvia to integrate the Baltic States in the European rail network via a high-speed railway line, Rail Baltica.

The secret structure dates from the Cold War-era and is known by a suitably anonymous name: “Object Number 100”. It was intended for Latvian railway dispatchers to protect them from chemical warfare and atomic bombs. To that end, it was equipped with showers, a work and sleeping area, an air purification system, its own alternative power supply and heating equipment.

Its construction started in the 1950s and took three years to build. The bunker area is 400 square meters and has concrete walls up to 2.4 meters thick. Workers could enter it via two entrances and evacuate it via three vertical exits in case of emergency.

Many were unaware of its existence, even to this day. The meaning of the shelter’s name, “Object Number 100”, remains shrouded in mystery, though. What is clear, is the fact that it cannot remain at its location, since this is where Rail Baltica’s viaduct structures, multimodal centre and various connections will be constructed.

Latvian heritage experts point out that the historical value of the bunker is well documented in various materials. Historical objects, such as one of the thick doors, will be displayed at the Museum of Latvian Railway, where people will be able to learn about the bunker’s existence and historical value.

In the coming weeks, the demolition crews of the Rail Baltica Central Station Project will be at work to undo the work of their predecessors 60 years earlier. They’ll have their work cut out, given the robustness of the bunker.

Andis Linde, manager at BERERIX, points out: “As we are right in the city center, we can’t use any blasting methods to dismantle the bunker. We will use more gentle methods, like traditional equipment that simply crushes concrete.”

By Spring 2021, the bunker and tunnels should be demolished to make room for one of the largest infrastructure projects in the Baltic region.

Watch below the local Latvian news coverage for a first - and last - glimpse inside the historical structure: