Maastricht railway station ( nl, Station Maastricht ; li, Statie Mestreech ) is located in
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
in
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. It is the main railway station in Limburg's capital city. It is the southern terminus of the –Maastricht intercity service by
NS. Additionally,
Arriva
Arriva plc is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England.[NMBS
french: Société nationale des chemins de fer belgesgerman: Nationale Gesellschaft der Belgischen Eisenbahnen
, type = Statutory corporation
, industry = Rail Transport
, foundation = 1926
, founder = Government o ...]
serve the station with local trains.
History
The station opened on 23 October 1853 together with the . In 1856, a railway connection to was opened. Both lines are now (partially) closed. In 1861, the
Liège-Maastricht railway connection was opened. It was not until the opening of the
Maastricht–Venlo railway
The Maastricht–Venlo railway is a railway line in the Netherlands running from Maastricht to Venlo, passing through Sittard and Roermond. The line was opened in 1865. It is part of the '' Staatslijn'' "E".
Stations
The main interchange statio ...
in 1865 that Maastricht was connected to the rest of the Netherlands.
![Station hall at Maastricht Railway Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Station_hall_at_Maastricht_Railway_Station.jpg)
Due to the fortified character of the town, the first railway station was in fact situated outside Maastricht, within the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Meerssen
Meerssen (; li, Meersje ) is a town and a municipality in southeastern Netherlands.
History
The Treaty of Meerssen was signed in Meerssen in 870. The Treaty of Meerssen was an agreement of the division of the Carolingian Empire by the surviving ...
. The first station was built out of wood, so that in case of attack it could quickly be demolished. The municipal borders were adjusted in 1907, making the station part of the municipality of
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
. The current brick building was built in 1913, designed by
George Willem van Heukelom. Due to its international connection, the station housed border customs. Even though Belgian trains from Liège still terminate at Maastricht, passport and security checks have gone with the implementation of the
Schengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement ( , ) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe's Schengen Area, in which internal border checks have largely been abolished. It was signed on 14 June 1985, near the town of Schengen, Luxembourg, by five of the t ...
. The former customs space is now used for small shops such as a florist, an
Albert Heijn, a
HEMA and snackbars.
Plans
There was a plan to reopen the
line to Hasselt as a tramway. Twice an hour, a tram was to run from Maastricht station through the town centre to the nearby town of
Lanaken
Lanaken (; li, Laoneke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2007, the municipality of Lanaken had a total population of 24,724. Its area is 59.00 km² which gives a population density of 415 inhabitant ...
, and further as a light rail train to
Bilzen and
Hasselt. The line was planned to open in 2018 but was first of all curtailed to the town centre because the bridge was too weak, then postponed until 2024, and finally cancelled in 2022.
Train services
The following train services call at this station:
* Express services:
** NS ''intercity'': (Schagen–)Alkmaar–Amsterdam–Utrecht–Eindhoven–Maastricht
** Arriva ''sneltrein'' RE 18: Maastricht–Meerssen–Valkenburg–Heerlen–Herzogenrath–Aachen
** Arriva ''stoptrein'' S4: Maastricht Randwyck–Meerssen–Valkenburg-Heerlen
** SNCB/NMBS ''local'' 13: (Hasselt–Liers–)Liège–Visé–Maastricht
Bus services
City buses
* 1: Malberg–Brusselse Poort–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Maastricht Randwyck–De Heeg
* 2: Oud Caberg–Brusselse Poort–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Maastricht Randwyck–De Heeg
* 3: Wolder–Biesland–Jekerkwartier–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Wittevrouwenveld–Nazareth
* 4: Maastricht(–Pottenberg–Jekerkwartier–City Centre–Central Station–Wittevrouwenveld)–Berg en Terblijt–Valkenburg
* 5: Daalhof–Mariaberg–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Maastricht Randwyck–Heugem–Oost-Maarland–Eijsden
* 6: Daalhof–Mariaberg–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Wittevrouwenveld–Amby
* 7: Malpertuis–Caberg–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Maastricht City Centre–Jekerdal–Villapark
* 8: Maastricht(–Boschpoort–City Centre–Central Station–Wittevrouwenveld)–Bemelen–Sibbe–Valkenburg
* 9: Maastricht Central Station–Beatrixhaven–Borgharen–Itteren–Bunde
Night buses
* N1: Malberg–Brusselse Poort–Maastricht City Centre–Maastricht Central Station–Randwyck–De Heeg
* N4: Maastricht City Centre–Scharn–Wittevrouwenveld–Berg en Terblijt–Valkenburg
Regional buses
*15: Eijsden- Maastricht
*30: Sittard–Geleen–Beek–MAA–Meerssen–Maastricht
*57: Maastricht–Gronsveld–Eckelrade–St. Geertruid–Mheer–Noorbeek–Heyenrath–Epen–Mechelen–Partij–Gulpen
*350 (''Limburgliner''): Maastricht–Cadier en Keer–Margraten–Gulpen–Wahlwiller–Nijswiller–Lemiers–Vaals–Aachen
*610 (school line): Simpelveld–Bocholtz–Nijswiller–Wahlwiller–Gulpen–Margraten–Cadier en Keer–Maastricht
References
External links
NS website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maastricht Railway Station
Railway stations in Maastricht
Railway stations opened in 1853
Railway stations on the Staatslijn E
Railway stations on the Heuvellandlijn
Rijksmonuments in Maastricht
Railway stations in The Netherlands opened in 1853