Leiden Centraal railway station

Leiden Centraal
Leiden Centraal railway station
Station statistics
Address	Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
Coordinates	52°09′59″N 4°28′56″E
Lines	Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway Weesp–Leiden railway Woerden–Leiden railway
Platforms	6
Tracks	10
Other information
Opened	17 August 1842
Owned by	Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Location

Leiden 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 (Dutch: Oude Lijn) from Haarlem. The original building was replaced by a new one, designed by D.A.N. Margadant, in 1879. This station was later razed and replaced by a third station designed by HGJ Schelling. Due to its post-war design, which was also implemented at other Dutch railway stations, Leiden Centraal became synonymous with the word "ugly." Increasing numbers of passengers also caused the building to become overcrowded. Eventually, it was demolished.

The fourth, and current, station was designed by Harry Reijnders and completed in 1996. Consisting of a white lattice structure, a curved, shell-like entrance leads into a ticketing hall lined with shops and restaurants. When first built, the floor had a bright blue and white finish. Problems with passengers slipping required that the floor be replaced with standard tiling.

Smart card era

In 2007, Leiden Centraal was renovated in accordance with the introduction of the OV-chipkaart, which created a nation-wide smart card fare system. To implement the OV-chipkaart, ticket barriers were installed, separating the station into a paid and unpaid area. The platforms and several shops comprise the paid area, while the rest of the station (including ticket machines, waiting area, and other shops) is classified as unpaid. The barriers are still open, as the new ticket system is still optional.

Train services

The following services call at Leiden Centraal:

• 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - The Hague - Amsterdam - Utrecht
• 2x per hour intercity service Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Roosendaal - Vlissingen
• 2x per hour intercity service Amsterdam - Haarlem - Rotterdam - Dordrecht
• 2x per hour intercity service Amsterdam - Schiphol - The Hague
• 2x per hour intercity service The Hague - Schiphol - Duivendrecht - Lelystad
• 2x per hour intercity service Leiden - Alphen aan den Rijn - Utrecht
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Den Haag - Leiden - Schiphol - Duivendrecht - Almere Oostvaarders
• 2x per hour local service (stoptrein) Utrecht - Hilversum - Schiphol - Leiden
• 2x per hour local service (stoptrein) The Hague - Leiden - Haarlem
• 2x per hour local service (stoptrein) Leiden - Alphen aan den Rijn - Gouda

Preceding station		Nederlandse Spoorwegen		Following station
Den Haag Hollands Spoor toward Rotterdam Centraal		NS Nachtnet 1400		Schiphol toward Utrecht Centraal
Den Haag Laan van NOI toward Vlissingen		NS Intercity 2100		Heemstede-Aerdenhout toward Amsterdam Centraal
Den Haag Laan van NOI toward Dordrecht		NS Intercity 2200		Heemstede-Aerdenhout toward Amsterdam Centraal
Den Haag Centraal Terminus		NS Intercity 2600		Schiphol toward Amsterdam Centraal
Den Haag Centraal Terminus		NS Intercity 3700		Schiphol toward Lelystad Centrum
Terminus		NS Intercity 8800		Leiden Lammenschans toward Utrecht Centraal
De Vink toward Den Haag Centraal		NS Sprinter 4300		Sassenheim toward Almere Oostvaarders
Terminus		NS Sprinter 5700		Sassenheim toward Utrecht Centraal
De Vink toward Den Haag Centraal		NS Sprinter 6300		Voorhout toward Haarlem
Terminus		NS Stoptrein 19500		Leiden Lammenschans toward Gouda

Gallery

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  Exit near the Leiden University hospital