Rotterdam Centraal is the main railway station of the city
RotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in the Netherlands.
History
The station opened June 3, 1847 as the
Delftsche PoortRotterdam Delftsche Poort was a railway station of the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij in Rotterdam, The Netherlands located on the Oude Lijn from Amsterdam Willemspoort station to Rotterdam...
railway station. The station building designed by
Sybold van RavesteynSybold van Ravesteyn ) was a Dutch architect. He designed many train stations, many now demolished, a zoo, public buildings such as theatres, as well as residences, interiors and furniture.-Biography:Sybold van Ravesteyn was born 18 February 1889 in Rotterdam...
opened in 1957 and closed on September 2, 2007. The building became too small for the increasing number of passengers.
Completion of a new public transport terminal is expected in 2013.
The station currently has 13 platforms, many being island platforms. The station is on the
Amsterdam–Rotterdam railwayThe railway from Amsterdam through Haarlem to Rotterdam runs from Amsterdam Centraal to Rotterdam Centraal through Haarlem....
,
Breda–Rotterdam railwayThe Breda–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands running from Breda to Rotterdam, passing through Dordrecht. It is also called the Staatslijn I in Dutch...
,
Utrecht–Rotterdam railwayThe Utrecht–Rotterdam railway is a heavily used railway line in the Netherlands, running from Utrecht to Rotterdam, passing through Gouda. The line was opened between 1855 and 1858. The western terminus was originally the Rotterdam Maas station. In 1899, a connection with the Rotterdam Delftse...
and the
HSL-ZuidHSL-Zuid , is a 125 km-long high-speed railway line in the Netherlands to the Belgian border, with a branch to Breda. Together with the Belgian HSL 4 it forms the Schiphol–Antwerp high-speed railway...
. There is a train/metro service under the station on
Rotterdam MetroThe Rotterdam Metro is a rapid transit system operated in Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities by RET. The first line, called Noord - Zuidlijn opened in 1968 and ran from Centraal Station to Zuidplein, crossing the river Nieuwe Maas in a tunnel. It was the first metro system to open in the...
line D, and, as of 2010, on
RandstadRailRandstadRail network in the southern part of the Randstad conurbation in the west of the Netherlands, connecting The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam, consists of a metro-like line between The Hague and Rotterdam and two light rail lines between The Hague and Zoetermeer...
line E.
Destinations
As it is one of the four main stations in the Netherlands it is well connected with cities all over the country. Major destinations include:
Amsterdam Centraal,
AmersfoortAmersfoort railway station is the main railway station in Amersfoort, Utrecht, the Netherlands. The station is an important link between the central part of the Netherlands and the north and east of the country.-History:...
,
ApeldoornApeldoorn is a railway station, located in the municipality of Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 15 May 1876, on the Amsterdam–Zutphen railway . It was opened when the Amersfoort to Zutphen section was completed...
,
BredaBreda is a railway station in Breda, the Netherlands. It is situated on the Breda–Rotterdam railway, the Roosendaal–Breda railway and the Breda–Eindhoven railway.-History:...
,
Capelle aan den IJsselThe Capelle Schollevaar railway station, also known as Capelle Schollevaer, is a railway station in Capelle aan den IJssel, the Netherlands, located on the Utrecht–Rotterdam railway between Rotterdam and Gouda. The railway station was opened in 1981 and has two platforms...
,
DeventerDeventer is a railway station in Deventer, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 5 August 1865 and is on the Apeldoorn–Deventer railway, Deventer–Almelo railway and the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway.-Destinations:...
,
DordrechtDordrecht is a railway station in Dordrecht, the Netherlands located on the Breda–Rotterdam railway and the Elst–Dordrecht railway. The station was opened on 1 January 1872, when the railway line between Rotterdam and Antwerp was opened. On 16 July 1885, the railway line from Dordrecht to...
,
DelftThe Delft railway station is a railway station in Delft, the Netherlands, located on the railway line between The Hague and Rotterdam. The first train passed the railway station on May 31, 1847. A few days later, on June 3, the railway station opened its doors. It was initially located on the...
,
Den Haag HSThe Den Haag Hollands Spoor railway station, also known as Den Haag HS, is the oldest railway station in The Hague, Netherlands. It was opened in 1843, when the Amsterdam–Haarlem railway, the oldest railway line in the country, was extended to The Hague. This line was further extended to Rotterdam...
, Den Haag City,
Eindhoven-History:The station was opened on 1 July 1866 and is located on the Breda–Eindhoven railway, the Venlo–Eindhoven railway and the Eindhoven–Weert railway. The station is operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen.The station is 900m east of the Philips Stadion....
,
EnschedeEnschede is the main railway station in Enschede, the Netherlands. The station opened on 1 July 1866 and is on the Zutphen–Glanerbeek railway. Between the late 1970s and 2001, the passenger service to Germany stopped. The connection to Gronau and Dortmund was re-opened in 2001...
,
GoudaGouda is a railway station in Gouda, The Netherlands. The station opened on 21 May 1855 when the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij opened the Utrecht–Rotterdam railway...
,
GroningenGroningen is the main railway station in Groningen, the Netherlands. In Groningen, the station is also called Hoofdstation. The station opened on 1 June 1866 and is on the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway. The first building was a temporary structure outside the former fortifications. In 1870, with...
, Haarlem,
HengeloHengelo is a railway station in Hengelo, the Netherlands. The station was opened on 18 October 1865 and is on the Almelo–Salzbergen railway and the Zutphen–Glanerbeek railway...
, Hoek van Holland (Ferry to
Harwich UKHarwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
),
LeeuwardenLeeuwarden is the main railway station in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. The station opened on 27 October 1863 and is on the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway, the Harlingen–Nieuweschans railway and the Leeuwarden–Stavoren railway. Leeuwarden was also the terminus of the North Friesland Railway which served...
,
LeidenLeiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a city in the Netherlands.-History:Leiden Centraal station opened on 17 August 1842 as the southern terminal of the first expansion of the Old Line from Haarlem. The original building was replaced by a new one, designed by D.A.N. Margadant, in...
,
MaassluisThe railway station of Maassluis in the Netherlands is located on the Schiedam–Hoek van Holland railway. It was opened on 17 August 1891. The building was replaced by the current building in 1980.-Train services:The following services call at Maasluis:...
,
MiddelburgMiddelburg is a railway station in southern Middelburg, the Netherlands. The station opened on 1 March 1872 and is located on the Roosendaal–Vlissingen railway. The services are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen...
,
Utrecht CentraalUtrecht Centraal is the central railway station for the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. It is the largest railway station in the Netherlands in terms of size, with fourteen platforms With Utrecht being located centrally in the Netherlands, Utrecht Centraal is also the largest station in terms...
,
VenloVenlo is the railway station for the city of Venlo in the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. It is situated on the Maastricht–Venlo railway, the Viersen–Venlo railway, the Venlo–Eindhoven railway and the Nijmegen–Venlo railway....
,
Vlaardingen CentrumVlaardingen Centrum is a railway station in Vlaardingen in the Netherlands. The station is located on the Schiedam–Hoek van Holland railway. It was opened on 17 August 1891.-Train services:The following services call at Vlaardingen Centrum:...
,
VlissingenVlissingen is a terminus railway station, in the town of Vlissingen, the Netherlands. The station opened on 1 September 1873. The station is at the western end of the Roosendaal–Vlissingen railway and has 3 platforms...
,
ZaandamZaandam is the main railway station in the town of Zaandam, near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. It is at the junction of the Den Helder–Amsterdam railway and the Zaandam–Enkhuizen railway.-History:...
,
ZwolleZwolle is a railway station in Zwolle, the capital of the province Overijssel, the Netherlands. The station opened on 6 June 1864 and is on the Utrecht–Kampen railway, also known as the Centraalspoorweg, the Zwolle–Almelo railway, the Arnhem–Leeuwarden railway and the Zwolle–Emmen railway.The...
.
There are also international services to: Antwerpen,
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
every hour and
ParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
5 times a day.
Train services
The following services call at Rotterdam Centraal:
- 2x per hour high speed service (Fyra) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Breda
- 1x per hour intercity service Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Roosendaal - Brussels
- 5x per day high speed service (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussels - Paris
- 1x per week high speed service (Thalys) Amsterdam - Brussels - Chambéry - Bourg-Saint-Maurice (in winter)
- 1x per hour intercity service Rotterdam - Utrecht - Amersfoort - Zwolle - Leeuwarden
- 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven (weekends only)
- 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - The Hague - Amsterdam - Utrecht
- 1x per hour intercity service Rotterdam - Utrecht - Amersfoort - Hengelo - Enschede
- 2x per hour intercity service The Hague - Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven - Venlo
- 2x per hour intercity service Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Roosendaal - Vlissingen
- 2x per hour intercity service Rotterdam - Utrecht - Amersfoort - Deventer
- 2x per hour express service (sneltrein) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Breda
- 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Uitgeest - Amsterdam - Woerden - Rotterdam
- 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Hoek van Holland - Rotterdam
- 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Maassluis West - Rotterdam
- 2x per hour local service (stoptrein) Leiden - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht
- 2x per hour local service (stoptrein) The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Roosendaal
- 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Rotterdam - Gouda Goverwelle
Metro- & Tram-service
Rotterdam Centraal currently serves as a terminus for
metroThe Rotterdam Metro is a rapid transit system operated in Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities by RET. The first line, called Noord - Zuidlijn opened in 1968 and ran from Centraal Station to Zuidplein, crossing the river Nieuwe Maas in a tunnel. It was the first metro system to open in the...
lines D and E, but a connection between these two separate sections is being built as part of the
RandstadRailRandstadRail network in the southern part of the Randstad conurbation in the west of the Netherlands, connecting The Hague, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam, consists of a metro-like line between The Hague and Rotterdam and two light rail lines between The Hague and Zoetermeer...
project. When established in August 2011, line E trains will continue further south to
Slinge stationSlinge is an above-ground subway station in the south of the city of Rotterdam. It is part of Rotterdam Metro line D, and from 2011, will be the southern terminus of line E...
, sharing the section between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge with line D.
The station is served by almost all lines in the
Rotterdam tramway networkThe Rotterdam tramway network is a key element of the overall public transport arrangements in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.Opened in 1879, the network currently has 8 regular lines and 3 occasional lines. It has been operated since 1927 by Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram .-History:The RET has had two...
(4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25 and 29) except line 2.
External links
Rotterdam Centraal