University of Helsinki metro station

Helsingin yliopisto Helsingfors universitet University of Helsinki
Helsinki Metro station
Coordinates	60°10′20″N 24°56′51″E / 60.17222°N 24.94750°E / 60.17222; 24.94750Coordinates: 60°10′20″N 24°56′51″E / 60.17222°N 24.94750°E / 60.17222; 24.94750
Owned by	Helsinki City Transport
Tracks	2
Connections	Helsinki tram Line: 3, 6, 6T, 9
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Depth	27 m (89 ft)
History
Opened	1995
Previous names	Kaisaniemi (1995–2015)
Services
Preceding station   HKL   Following station Rautatientori toward Ruoholahti Northern Branch Hakaniemi toward Mellunmäki Eastern Branch Hakaniemi toward Vuosaari

University of Helsinki (Finnish: Helsingin yliopisto, Swedish: Helsingfors universitet) is a station on the Helsinki Metro. It serves the central Helsinki district of Kaisaniemi (Finnish: Kaisaniemi, Swedish: Kajsaniemi) and was known by this name until the end of 2014. The station is 27 metres below ground level and 22 metres below sea level. It is positioned 600 metres east of Central Railway Station metro station, and 900 metres south of Hakaniemi metro station.

The station's location was decided as in 1971, and the station box was excavated during the original construction work in the late-1970s, however its opening date was postponed owing to lack of funds. The station was eventually opened on 1 March 1995, having been designed by the architect bureau Kontio - Kilpi - Valjento Oy. It station is equipped with an unusual glass-sided funicular-style elevator, operating along the slope parallel to the escalators, rather than a conventional vertical liftshaft design.

In April 2014, the Helsinki City Board decided to rename the station after the University of Helsinki (Finnish: Helsingin yliopisto, Swedish: Helsingfors universitet). The city wants to complete the required changes to signage by 2015, which is also the 375th anniversary of the founding of the university. After the completion of the metro's western extension, the metro line will thus have two stops bearing the name of a university, the other being the stop of Aalto University in Otaniemi, Espoo.