Zoetermeer Stadslijn is a
light-rail line converted from a former
commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
line in the
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 ...
, between
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 of ...
and
Zoetermeer
Zoetermeer () is a city in the Western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. A small village until the late 1960s, it had 6,392 inhabitants in 1950. By 2013 this had grown to 123,328 ...
.
History
Originally, the line was managed by the
Dutch Railways
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 th ...
(NS).
Since June 2006, it has served as a light-rail line, using
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s. The light-rail connection, combined with The Hague-
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 ''"N ...
line, is called the
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 ...
.
After the
Oosterheem neighbourhood was built in Zoetermeer, an extra track was added. It does not take the round line, unlike the other routes, but splits between Seghweart and Leidsewallen stations.
Lines
Since the extra Oosterheem line was added, two lines reach the Zoetermeer Stadslijn and are called line 3 and line 4. Line 3 uses the older track, and line 4, or the Oosterheem line, takes the newer track. In 2020 a new line 34 was added combining the routes of line 3 in The Hague and that of line 4 in Zoetermeer.
Line 3
Line 3 takes the old track and makes a lap. At
Centrum West, it turns and circles back over the whole track to
Den Haag Centraal Station.
Route
The route starts at Den Haag, passes through
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 people ...
and
Leidschendam
Leidschendam () is a town and former municipality in the province of South Holland of the Netherlands. Along with Voorburg and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg.
History
The town's name has been in use for centur ...
, and continues through Den Haag
Leidschenveen, at the following stops:
*
Den Haag CS
*
Beatrixkwartier
The Beatrixkwartier (literally ''Beatrix Quarter'' in Dutch) is a modern financial district in The Hague, near the Central Station, in the Bezuidenhout district. The name was thought up when they were renewing the Beatrixlaan. Officially this a ...
*
Laan van NOI
*
Voorburg 't Loo
*
Leidschendam-Voorburg
Leidschendam-Voorburg () is a municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It had a population of in , and covers an area of of which is water.
Origin
The municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg is the resu ...
*
Forepark
*
Leidschenveen
Then, it enters Zoetermeer at station Voorweg Laag. In Zoetermeer has the following stops:
*
Voorweg Laag
*
Centrum West
*
Stadhuis
*
Palenstein
*
Seghwaert
Seghwaert is a district in Zoetermeer that was formed around the old village of Zegwaart (or Zegwaard), which fused with the municipality of Zoetermeer in 1935, using the archaic spelling of the locale's name. The old Zegwaart was a ribbon devel ...
*
Leidsewallen
*
De Leyens
*
Buytenwegh
* Voorweg Hoog
*
Meerzicht
*
Driemanspolder (
NS station Zoetermeer)
*
Delftsewallen
*
Dorp
* Centrum West
At the end of the route, the vehicle turns around and drives the route back to Den Haag.
Line 4
Line 4 takes the same route as line 3 until Seghwaert, where it splits and goes into the Oosterheem neighbourhood.
Route
The route starts at Den Haag and goes through Voorburg and Leidschendam and Den Haag again, just like line 3. In Zoetermeer it has the following stations:
* Voorweg Laag
* Centrum West
* Stadhuis
* Palenstein
* Seghwaert
*
Willem Dreeslaan
*
Oosterheem
*
Javalaan
*
Lansingerland-Zoetermeer
That is the end of the track.
Line 34
On this part of the route the stops are identical to that of line 4
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoetermeer Stadslijn
Light rail in the Netherlands
Zoetermeer