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Rotterdam Centraal railway station () is the main
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
of the city
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...
in South Holland,
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 ...
. The station received an average of 112,000 passengers daily in 2019. The current station building, located at Station Square, was officially opened in March 2014.


History

Before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Rotterdam did not have a central railway station - instead there were four stations in and around the city centre: * Rotterdam Delftsche Poort: for westbound trains towards Schiedam, Den Haag HS and
Amsterdam CS Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, m ...
and eastbound trains towards
Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
*Rotterdam Beurs: towards
Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
, connected to Delftsche Poort *Rotterdam Maas: terminus for eastbound trains to Gouda and
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
* Rotterdam Hofplein: terminus for the
Hofpleinlijn The Hofpleinlijn ''(Spoorlijn Rotterdam Hofplein - Scheveningen)'' was one of the two railways between the Dutch cities of The Hague and Rotterdam. In 2006 it was converted to metro-like operation as RandstadRail line E. History The Zuid-Hollan ...
, an alternative line to Den Haag HS, also going to Scheveningen. Delftse Poort station was badly damaged by bombing in the
Rotterdam Blitz Rotterdam was subjected to heavy aerial bombardment by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the ...
. The new Centraal station was rebuilt just westwards of the site. Its original building was designed by architect
Sybold van Ravesteyn Sybold van Ravesteyn (born Sijbold van Ravesteijn, 18 February 1889, Rotterdam — 23 November 1983, Laren) was a Dutch architect. He designed many train stations, many now demolished, a zoo, public buildings such as theatres, as well as residen ...
and was completed on 13 March 1957, officially opening on 21 May. Maas station had closed in 1953 and trains from Utrecht were diverted to Centraal station via the new Rotterdam Noord station. However, the Hofpleinlijn (which later became part of
RandstadRail RandstadRail () is a light rail network in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area in the west of the Netherlands that is jointly operated by HTM Personenvervoer (HTM) and Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET). It connects the cities of Rotte ...
) continued to bypass the station. Hofplein station was eventually closed in 2010 after the Hofpleinlijn was redirected through a tunnel and connected to Centraal station for the first time. On 9 February 1968
Princess Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husban ...
opened the first metro line in the Netherlands at Centraal station. The line connected the station to the south of Rotterdam and is now known as Line D. The first subway station had an island platform with two tracks. On 28 September 2009, a new and more spacious underground station opened right next to the old one, which was immediately demolished. The new station has two
island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
s with three tracks. The mainline station nowadays has seven island platforms with thirteen platform tracks. There are three tracks without platform (tracks 2, 5 and 10). In 2007, it was used by approximately 110,000 passengers a day. The 1957 station building was closed in 2007 and demolished the next year - making it the first major post-war railway station in the Netherlands to be taken down to make way for a new one. The new station was completed and opened in 2014.


New Rotterdam Centraal

A total reconstruction of the station and its surroundings started in 2004 to cope with an increasing number of trains, for example the high-speed train between
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
,
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, and to accommodate for
RandstadRail RandstadRail () is a light rail network in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area in the west of the Netherlands that is jointly operated by HTM Personenvervoer (HTM) and Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET). It connects the cities of Rotte ...
. Furthermore, the existing station, especially the passenger tunnel, also became too small to handle the growing number of passengers. Traveller numbers were projected to be 320,000 per day in 2025. To cope with this increase, a new station was necessary. In June 2004,
ProRail ProRail () is a Dutch government organisation responsible for the maintenance and extension of the national railway network infrastructure (not the metro or tram), the allocation of rail capacity, and controlling rail traffic. Prorail is a part o ...
, NS and the Municipality of Rotterdam awarded the contract to Team CS, a cooperative between
Benthem Crouwel Architekten Benthem Crouwel Architects is a Dutch architectural firm founded in 1979 by Jan Benthem and Mels Crouwel. Today, partners Pascal Cornips, Daniel Jongtien, Saartje van der Made and Joost Vos lead an international team of 60 professionals at the Ams ...
, MVSA Meyer & Van Schooten Architects, and
West 8 West 8 is an urban planning and landscape architecture firm founded by Adriaan Geuze and Paul van Beek in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1987. It is known for its contemporary designs and innovative solutions to urban planning problems using lighting, ...
, for transforming the existing plans into a design for the new Central Station. On 16 May 2006 Mayor
Ivo Opstelten Ivo Willem Opstelten (born 31 January 1944) is a retired Dutch politician and jurist. He is a member of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD). Opstelten applied at Leiden University in May 1963 majoring in Law and obtaining an Bac ...
revealed a work of Onno Poiesz consisting of the word EXIT, which was mounted behind the windows of the facade. Some of the letters "CENTRAAL STATION" that stood on the roof of the station until its closing were put in a different order by Peter Hopman and Margien Reuvekamp of Bureau Lakenvelder to read "TRAAN LATEN" ("SHED A TEAR"). The final closure of the outdated station took place on 2 September 2007 in the presence of Mayor Opstelten, to allow for the demolition of the station. Between 16 January 2008 and the end of March 2008 the station was completely demolished. Passengers then, for years, had to use amenities housed in a temporary shelter, a smurf-blue building complex on Conrad Street on the northeast corner of the
Groothandelsgebouw The Groothandelsgebouw (meaning Wholesale Building or Offices) is an extensive building and monument in the center of Rotterdam, Netherlands next to the Central Station of the city. Completed in 1953 it is one of the first major buildings built af ...
. The bicycle tunnel served as a temporary passenger tunnel. On 28 November 2012 the six-times-as-large, new passenger tunnel opened, and on 28 August 2013 the renovated bicycle tunnel opened; the so-called biscuits - artworks that had adorned the wings of the former Central Station - are now above the ends of the bicycle tunnel. The full completion of the station was on 13 March 2014, when the station was reopened by
King Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born ) is King of the Netherlands, having acceded to the throne following his mother's abdication in 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht as the oldest child of Princess Beatr ...
. Rotterdam Centraal Station, as the station is now officially called - on the south side, at the explicit request of the citizens of Rotterdam, the name Centraal Station in the lettering that architect Van Ravensteyn had put on the old station, has returned - will obtain the status of world station, as it is on the international high-speed railway towards
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Some modifications to accommodate security screening of
Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operate ...
passengers from the UK were made and finished in March 2018. In addition to the railway station, the old metro station of Rotterdam Centraal with two tracks and an
island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
was renewed and extended to accommodate for the light rail connection to The Hague Central Station. The location of the former island platform is now occupied by switches. The tracks of the RandstadRail Metro Line E were connected to the rest of the metro network with a new tunnel at Rotterdam Central Station. The new metro station has three tracks and two island platforms. Track 1 serves metro line E, part of RandstadRail in the direction Den Haag Central Station. Track 2 is for metro line E towards Slinge; additional services between Slinge - Rotterdam Central vv also use track 2 as terminus of metro line D. Track 3 is between the two island platforms; uniquely the doors of the subway open on both sides while halting at this platform. The latter track is used as the starting point of Metro Line D to the Akkers. On 28 September 2009 the new metro station was opened, after it had been closed for two days. The connection for RandstadRail was officially opened on 16 August 2010, a day after it was available for passenger service. On 26 March 2014, one of the 60-year-old trees that had to 'move' to allow for the renovation of the station area was placed on Conrad Street. On 4 February 2020, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, and the UK
Transport Secretary The Secretary of State for Transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent i ...
, Grant Shapps, announced that juxtaposed controls would be established in the station. According to the announcement, starting from 18 May 2020, Eurostar passengers travelling to the UK would clear exit checks from the Schengen Area as well as UK entry checks (conducted by the
UK Border Force Border Force (BF) is a law-enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in the United Kingdom. The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from its estab ...
) in the station before boarding their train (without having to disembark at Brussels-South station, go through the juxtaposed controls there, and board another train to the UK). However, the launch was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The inauguration of juxtaposed controls in the station subsequently took place on 26 October 2020.


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 Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
,
Amersfoort Amersfoort () is a city and municipality in the province of Utrecht, Netherlands, about 20 km from the city of Utrecht and 40 km south east of Amsterdam. As of 1 December 2021, the municipality had a population of 158,531, making it the second- ...
,
Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil ...
, Breda,
Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a city and municipality in the Western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the province's fifth-largest city after R ...
, Delft,
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
(Den Haag), Eindhoven, Gouda, Groningen, Haarlem,
Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Stadsfries dialects, Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Fri ...
,
Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wi ...
,
Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...
,
Roosendaal Roosendaal () is both a city and a municipality in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Towns/villages of the municipality * Roosendaal (population: 66,760) * Wouw (4,920) * Heerle (1,900) * Nispen (1,440) * Wouwse P ...
,
Tilburg Tilburg () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern province of North Brabant. With a population of 222,601 (1 July 2021), it is the second-largest city or municipality in North Brabant after Eindhoven and the seventh-larg ...
,
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
,
Venlo Venlo () is a city and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg, about 50 km east of the city of Eindhoven, 65 km north east of the provincial capital Maastricht, a ...
,
Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river ...
and
Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is on ...
. There are also international services to Antwerp,
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
and
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
up to 14 times a day and to
Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, Seine-et-Marne, Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disney ...
twice per day.
Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operate ...
services from
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
to
Amsterdam Centraal Amsterdam Centraal Station ( nl, italic=no, Station Amsterdam Centraal ; abbreviation: Asd) is the largest railway station in Amsterdam, North Holland, the Netherlands. A major international railway hub, it is used by 192,000 passengers a day, ...
also call here. Direct services to London were due to start on 18 May 2020, but this was postponed to 26 October due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.


Train services

, the following train services call at this station: *International service **''Thalys'': Amsterdam – Rotterdam Central – Antwerp – Brussels – Chambéry – Bourg-Saint-Maurice (in winter) **''Thalys'': Amsterdam – Rotterdam Central – Antwerp – Brussels – Avignon – Marseille (in summer) **''Thalys'': Amsterdam – Rotterdam Central – Antwerp – Brussels – Paris **''Thalys'': Amsterdam – Rotterdam Central – Antwerp – Brussels – Aéroport Charles de Gaulle - Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy **''Eurostar'': Amsterdam – Rotterdam Central – Brussels – London **''Intercity Direct'': Amsterdam – Schiphol – Rotterdam Central – Breda – Noorderkempen – Antwerp – Mechelen – Brussels Airport Zaventem – Brussels South/Midi **''Intercity '': The Hague HS – Rotterdam Central – Breda – Noorderkempen – Antwerp – Mechelen – Brussels Airport Zaventem – Brussels South/Midi *Express services **''Intercity'': Rotterdam Central – Gouda – Utrecht – Amersfoort – Zwolle – Assen – Groningen **''Intercity'': Rotterdam Central – Gouda – Utrecht – Amersfoort – Zwolle – Meppel – Steenwijk – Heerenveen – Leeuwarden **''Intercity Direct'': Amsterdam – Schiphol – Rotterdam Central – Breda **''Intercity Direct'': Amsterdam – Schiphol – Rotterdam Central **''Intercity'': The Hague – Delft – Rotterdam Central – Breda – Tilburg – Eindhoven **''Nachtnet'': Rotterdam Central – Gouda/Delft – The Hague HS – Leiden – Schiphol – Amsterdam – Utrecht **''Intercity'': Vlissingen – Middelburg – Goes – Bergen op Zoom – Roosendaal – Dordrecht – Rotterdam Central – Schiedam – Delft – The Hague HS – Leiden – Haarlem – Amsterdam **''Intercity'': Dordrecht – Rotterdam Central – Schiedam – Delft – The Hague HS – Leiden – Schiphol – Amsterdam Zuid – Duivendrecht – Almere – Lelystad ** **''Intercity'': Rotterdam Central – Gouda – Utrecht **''Nachtnet'': Rotterdam Central – Dordrecht – Breda – Tilburg – Eindhoven *Only during evening and on Sundays: **''Intercity'': Dordrecht – Rotterdam – Schiedam – Delft – The Hague HS – Leiden – Schiphol – Amsterdam Zuid – Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA – Utrecht – 's-Hertogenbosch – Eindhoven – Helmond – Deurne – Horst Sevenum – Blerick – Venlo** *Local services **''Sprinter'': Uitgeest – Zaandam – Amsterdam – Breukelen – Woerden – Gouda – Rotterdam Central **''Sprinter'': The Hague – Delft – Rotterdam Central – Dordrecht **''Sprinter'': The Hague – Delft – Rotterdam Central – Dordrecht **''Sprinter'': Rotterdam Central – Gouda – Gouda Goverwelle


Metro services

Rotterdam Centraal currently serves as a terminus for
metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
line D, while line E trains continue further north to
Voorburg Voorburg is a town and former municipality in the west part of the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Together with Leidschendam and Stompwijk, it makes up the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. It has a population of about 39,000 peo ...
and
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
, sharing the section between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge with line D. The trains are operated by RET.


Tram services

The station is served by almost all lines in the Rotterdam tramway network (4, 7, 8, 12, 20, 21, 23, 24 and 25) and are operated by RET The routes of the trams are as follows:


Bus services

*33 Rotterdam Centraal - Blijdorp Zoo - Overschie - Rotterdam-The Hague Airport - Meijersplein Metro *38 Crooswijk - Rotterdam Centraal - Oud-Mathenesse - Schiedam Centrum *40 Rotterdam Centraal - Blijdorp Zoo - Overschie - Delft University - Delft *44 Rotterdam Centraal - Erasmus University Medical Center - Carnisse - Zuidplein *Eurolines *Flixbus There are also 13 nightbus lines operating every Friday and Saturday.


Amenities

The new travelers passage includes two supermarkets, a HEMA, a range of take-away food options, and two branches of Starbucks. There is also a "Station Living room". The south side features an underground bicycle parking for over 5,000 bicycles. Both the north and the south side have taxi stops. Under the Kruisplein an underground parking garage has been built with a water storage facility on top; This garage is accessible from the south (=west-east) tube of the Weena Tunnel and will be connected to the parking garage under the Schouwburgplein.


See also

*
RandstadRail RandstadRail () is a light rail network in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area in the west of the Netherlands that is jointly operated by HTM Personenvervoer (HTM) and Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (RET). It connects the cities of Rotte ...
*
Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and t ...


References


External links


Rotterdam CentraalNS websiteDutch Public Transport journey plannerRET website


* ttps://www.rijdendetreinen.nl/en/departures/station/rotterdam-centraal Live train departures for Rotterdam Centraal station {{Railway stations served by Eurostar Centraal Railway stations opened in 1847 Rotterdam Metro stations located underground Railway stations on the Hoekse Lijn Railway stations on the Oude Lijn Railway stations on the Staatslijn I Railway stations served by Eurostar RandstadRail stations in Rotterdam 1847 establishments in the Netherlands Juxtaposed border controls Railway stations in the Netherlands opened in 1847