Deepest Metro Stations in the World

An average metro station is situated only a few stories underground. However, the geography and geology of a regional force engineers to establish stations deep below ground. Such geological and geographical factors include bodies of water such as rivers, swamps, and lakes. The world's deepest metro stations can be found across different areas of the world and below are some of them.

5. London Underground - Hampstead (190 feet)

At 190 feet below ground, the Hampstead station is the deepest station for the London Underground and is located in Hampstead, North London. The station was designed by Leslie Green, an English architect, and was officially opened on June 22, 1907. Hampstead station is situated between the stations of Belsize Park and Golders Green on the Northern line's Edgware branch - it is also the branch's northernmost subterranean station. Hampstead station is on the boundary between Travelcard Zones 2 and 3. The station is built on a steep hill and consists of the deepest lift shaft at 180 feet which houses high-speed lifts.

4. Portland Light Rail - Washington Park (259 feet)

Located in Portland, Oregon, the Washington Park station is a light rail on the Max Blue and Red Lines of the Portland Light Rail. At 259 feet underground, Washington Park is the only station in the Max system that is completely below ground. Washington Park is not only among the world's deepest transit stations but also the deepest in North America. The Hoyt Arboretum, World Forestry Center, Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Oregon Zoo, and Portland's Children Museum are some of the establishments that surround the station's surface level plaza which is situated in the middle of a parking lot.

3. Saint Petersburg Metro - Admiralteyskaya (282 feet)

Saint Petersburg Metro, located in Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Russia is one of the world's deepest metro systems by average depth. The system's deepest station Admiralteyskaya is located at 282 feet below ground and it is the world's 9th busiest metro system serving an estimated 2 million passengers per day. The metro including the Admiralteyskaya station consists of the world's longest escalators which exceed 410 feet.

2. Kiev Metro - Arsenalna (346 feet)

Arsenalna station on Kiev Metro is one of the world's deepest stations with 346 feet below the surface. For passengers to board a subway train at Arsenalna station, they have to take two long escalators to the bottom which take approximately five minutes. The station's unusual depth is mainly attributed to the geography of Kiev. The main entrance to the station is located atop a steep valley adjacent to the Dnieper River where the river's high banks rise above the rest of the city.

1. Pyongyang Metro (360 feet)

At 360 feet deep underground, the Pyongyang Metro system is located in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea. It is one of the deepest subway systems in the world (if not the deepest). The metro system began its operation on September 9, 1973 - approximately 43 years ago. It is so deep that temperatures at the platform are constantly 18 degrees Celsius all year long. The Pyongyang Metro comprises of two lines: the Hyoksin Line running in the southwest from Kwangbok Station to Ragwon Station and the Chollima Line running north from Puhung Station to Pulgunbyol Station. Estimates of around 300,000 to 700,000 people take the Pyongyang Metro every day. Due to its depth, Pyongyang metro stations double as bomb shelters protected by heavy blast doors put in place at hallways. The metro has a museum entirely devoted to its history and construction.