The Helsinki Metro (Finnish: Helsingin metro, Swedish: Helsingfors metro), is a rapid transit system serving Helsinki, Finland. It is the world's most northern metro system, and the only one in Finland. The system was opened to the general public on 2 August 1982 after 27 years of planning. It is operated by Helsinki City Transport (HKL) for Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) and carries 62 million passengers per year.
The system's 17 stations, of which 9 are underground, make up a single forked line along a total length of 21.1 kilometres (13.1 mi). The metro serves as the predominant rail link between the suburbs of East Helsinki and the city centre. The upcoming Länsimetro extension will continue the line through western Helsinki and the southern parts of the neighbouring city of Espoo, as of 10/2015 served by buses only.
The line passes under Helsinki Central railway station allowing passengers to transfer to and from the Helsinki commuter rail network including trains on the Ring Rail Line to Helsinki Airport.
Helsinki (/hɛlˈsɪŋki/; Finnish pronunciation: [ˈhelsiŋki]; Swedish: Helsingfors) is the capital and largest city of Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. Helsinki has a population of 626,305, an urban population of 1.2 million (31 December 2013), and a metropolitan population of 1.4 million, making it the most populous municipality and urban area in Finland. Helsinki is located some 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 km (250 mi) northeast of Stockholm, Sweden, and 388 km (241 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Helsinki has close historical connections with these three cities.
The Helsinki metropolitan area includes the urban core of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, and surrounding commuter towns. It is the world's northernmost metro area of over one million people, and the city is the northernmost capital of an EU member state. The Helsinki metropolitan area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Nordic countries and the City of Helsinki is the third largest Nordic city after Stockholm and Oslo.
Helsinki is an electoral district represented in the Finnish Eduskunta (parliament). It covers the administrative area of the city of Helsinki, with a population of 591,306 (as of 2011). Helsinki currently elects 21 members of the Eduskunta.
The constituency is urban, including the city centre of Helsinki and its eastern, mainly working-class suburbs. It does not include most of the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area, which falls instead under the constituency of Uusimaa. The largest party in the 2011 election was the centre-right National Coalition Party.
Green League had its best result in Finland and Centre Party worst result in this district