Finland 100: 62 – Asematunneli in the City Centre

Asematunneli translates as the ‘Station Tunnel’ and it pretty much does exactly what it says, providing pedestrians with an underground passageway from the railway station into the city centre. And, wherever you have a steady stream of humanity, you’ll find shops selling their wares. In fact, there’s a whole shopping centre up above going on for several floors. From the ground floor up, the renovations have been completed, bringing an airy light-filled shopping experience to an area that had been a bit of a warren maze. It’s only when you head back down into the basement tunnels that you come across some of the original structure still waiting for its facelift. I used to enjoy walking through Asematunneli, with its late night, last minute shopping, with some people rushing, others loitering and the general air of wear and tear reminding me of some kind of vibrant cosmopolitan bazaar, with a subterranean twist. Hopefully, the character will remain when the renovations are complete. As the exit in this photo is closed, there’s not a lot of activity going on but just behind me the rush never stops.