The Metro

The Metro has played a significant role in the public transport system of Helsinki since 1982.  Planning for the Metro began in 1955 when the city of Helsinki set up a planning commission. The task of the commission was to determine whether the capital needed an underground or not. The 1960s saw a rapid increase in car traffic and this gave new momentum to the planning. The planning started in earnest in 1965 and in 1982, the Metro began to operate. At first, the Metro operated only between the Central Railway Station and Itäkeskus. The second branch was introduced in 1998. In 2007, a new Metro station was opened in Kalasatama. 

The expansion of the Metro system continues for the city of Espoo has decided on extending the Metro from Ruoholahti to Matinkylä.  Länsimetro, the westward extension of the Metro, will start operating around 2014.  There are plans of extending the Metro also to Töölö, Pasila, Viikki and the airport, as well as to Östersundom in eastern Helsinki.  A project to automize the Metro is also underway. The automation of the Metro became topical when it became evident that the present access control system needed to be renewed.  The automation was tendered in 2007. The contract was awarded to Siemens and signed in 2008. The automated Metro will be in operation around 2013. In connection with the automation, platform doors will be installed also at old Metro stations.

HSL is responsible for the planning, development and procurement of the Metro service. The service is operated by HKL Metro.