Asematunneli is an underground

Underground city

An Underground city is a series of linked subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of these. The term may also refer to a network of tunnels that...

 shopping center connecting the Helsinki Central railway station

Helsinki Central railway station

Helsinki Central railway station is a widely recognised landmark in central Helsinki, Finland, and the focal point of public transport in the Greater Helsinki area. The station is used by approximately 200,000 passengers per day, making it Finland's most-visited building...

 and City-Center

City-Center

The City-Center was a plan to raze and rebuild the block between the central Helsinki streets of Kaivokatu, Keskuskatu and Aleksanterinkatu, creating a unified, modern appearance for the area. Originally drafted between 1958 and 1960 by Viljo Revell, Heikki Castrén continued work on the plan after...

 in downtown Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. The area also has a ticket sales area for the Rautatientori metro station

Rautatientori metro station

Rautatientori metro station or Central railway station metro station is a station on the Helsinki Metro in Finland. The entrance is located in the Asematunneli main hall, which has an exit to the Helsinki Central Railway Station. It is the only Helsinki Metro station whose name is announced also...

 and connections to the nearby Forum shopping mall

Forum (shopping centre)

Forum is a shopping centre in Helsinki, Finland, opened in 1985 and located between the streets of Mannerheimintie, Simonkatu, Yrjönkatu and Kalevankatu.The original Forum building is located in the corner of Mannerheimintie and Simonkatu...

 and Stockmann

Stockmann, Helsinki centre

The Stockmann department store is a culturally significant business building and department store located in the centre of Helsinki, Finland. It is one of many department stores owned by the Stockmann corporation. Annually, about 17 million customers visit the store and it is thus the largest...

 and Sokos

Sokos

Sokos is a chain of department stores in Finland that is part of the S-Group. It should not be confused with the hotel chain, Sokos Hotels.- Department stores :* Espoo * Helsinki* Helsinki * Hämeenlinna* Joensuu* Jyväskylä...

 department stores. The shops and supermarkets in Asematunneli are licensed to stay open longer than normal as well as during the national holidays, making the shopping center an important location for last minute and emergency shopping for the people of the greater Helsinki area. Kamppi Center

Kamppi Center

Kamppi Centre is a complex in the Kamppi district in the centre of Helsinki, designed by various architects, the main designer, however, being Juhani Pallasmaa. It is said to be Helsinki's new downtown commercial and residential centre...

 and the bottom floor of Sähkötalo

Sähkötalo

Sähkötalo is the name of the building located in downtown Helsinki, in Kamppi, that serves as the headquarters of Helsingin Energia. The building was designed by Alvar Aalto....

 across Fredrikinkatu

Fredrikinkatu

Fredrikinkatu is a street in Helsinki that starts from the intersection of Tarkk'ampujankatu, Pursimiehenkatu, Laivurinkatu and Laivurinrinne in the district of Punavuori and continues north by the western side of Kamppi Center until it reaches Lutherinkatu and the Temppeliaukio Church in...

 can also be accessed via underground tunnels by going through the Forum shopping mall first. The interconnecting areas provide for convenient movement across a wide area of central Helsinki, and allow pedestrians to escape the rain, snow, and cold weather that dominate much of the Finnish calendar.

Asematunneli was built by digging up Kaivokatu and pouring concrete canopies for the tunnels in 1966–1967.