Rotterdam Centraal railway station

Rotterdam Centraal
Rotterdam Central building
Station statistics
Address	Netherlands
Coordinates	51°55′28″N 4°28′10″E
Lines	Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway HSL-Zuid Utrecht–Rotterdam railway Breda–Rotterdam railway
Platforms	13
Other information
Opened	1847
Code	Rtd
Owned by	Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Location

Rotterdam Centraal [rɔtərˈdɑm sɛnˈtraːɫ] is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

History

Rotterdam's former Centraal Station by architect Sybold van Ravesteyn built 1950-1957.

The station opened June 3, 1847 as the Delftsche Poort railway station. This station was, however, no real central station. Trains from/towards Utrecht departed from Rotterdam Maas railway station and from 1908, Hofplein station served electric trains towards The Hague. Delftsche Poort and Maas station were destroyed in the Rotterdam Blitz. Thereafter, the railway to Utrecht was moved to the north, joining the line between The Hague and Rotterdam since 1953 via the west (remarkable, because Utrecht is to the east causing a long curve west of the station). The former Delftsche Poort station location was designated to become the location of the new Central Station. A station building designed by Sybold van Ravesteyn opened in 1957. On February 9, 1968, the station was expanded with a metro platform under the square in front of the station. The 1957 station closed on September 2, 2007 and has been demolished. 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 railway, Breda–Rotterdam railway, Utrecht–Rotterdam railway and the HSL-Zuid. There is a train/metro service under the station on Rotterdam Metro line D, and, as of 2010, on RandstadRail 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, Amersfoort, Breda, Capelle aan den IJssel, Dordrecht, Delft, Den Haag HS, Den Haag City, Eindhoven, Gouda, Groningen, Haarlem, Hoek van Holland (Ferry to Harwich UK), Leeuwarden, Leiden, Maassluis, Middelburg, Tilburg, Utrecht Centraal, Venlo, Vlaardingen Centrum, Vlissingen, Zaandam, Zwolle.

There are also international services to: Antwerpen, Brussels every hour and Paris up to 10 times a day.

Train services

The following services call at Rotterdam Centraal:

• 1x per week high speed service (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussels - Chambéry - Bourg-Saint-Maurice (in winter)
• 1x per week high speed service (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussels - Avignon - Marseille (in summer)
• 10x per day high speed service (Thalys) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Brussels - Paris
• 10x per day high speed service (Fyra) Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Antwerp - Brussels (not operating as of 17 January 2013)
• 2x per hour high speed service (Fyra) Amsterdam - Schiphol - Rotterdam - Breda
• 8x per day international service The Hague - Rotterdam - Roosendaal - Antwerp - Brussels
• 2x per hour intercity service Amsterdam - Haarlem - Leiden - The Hague - Rotterdam
• 2x per hour intercity service Lelystad - Amsterdam - Schiphol - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Vlissingen
• 1x per hour intercity service Rotterdam - Utrecht - Amersfoort - Zwolle - Leeuwarden
• 1x per hour intercity service Rotterdam - Utrecht - Amersfoort - Zwolle - Groningen
• 2x per hour intercity service Rotterdam - Utrecht
• 2x per hour intercity service The Hague - Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven - Venlo
• 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven (weekends only)
• 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - The Hague - Amsterdam - Utrecht
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Rotterdam - Gouda - Woerden - Amsterdam - Uitgeest
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Rotterdam - Gouda - Gouda Goverwelle
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Rotterdam - Vlaardingen - Maassluis - Hoek van Holland
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) Rotterdam - Vlaardingen - Maassluis - Maassluis West
• 4x per hour local service (sprinter) Rotterdam - Vlaardingen (peak hours only)
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Breda (only 1x per hour from Dordrecht to Breda outside peak hours)
• 2x per hour local service (sprinter) The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Roosendaal (only 1x per hour from Dordrecht to Roosendaal outside peak hours)

Preceding station		Nederlandse Spoorwegen		Following station
Schiphol toward Amsterdam Centraal		Fyra 900		Breda Terminus
Antwerpen-Centraal toward Brussels-South		Fyra 9200		Schiphol toward Amsterdam Centraal
Antwerpen-Centraal toward Paris Nord		Thalys Intercity 9300		Schiphol toward Amsterdam Centraal
Antwerpen-Centraal toward Bourg-Saint-Maurice		Thalys (winter)		Schiphol toward Amsterdam Centraal
Terminus		NS Intercity 500		Rotterdam Alexander toward Groningen
Terminus		NS Nachtnet 1400		Delft toward Utrecht Centraal
Terminus		NS Intercity 1700		Rotterdam Alexander toward Enschede
Delft toward Den Haag Centraal		NS Intercity 1900		Dordrecht toward Venlo
Terminus		NS Intercity 2200		Schiedam Centrum toward Amsterdam Centraal
Rotterdam Blaak toward Vlissingen		NS Intercity 2600		Schiedam Centrum toward Lelystad Centrum
Terminus		NS Intercity 2800		Rotterdam Alexander toward Utrecht Centraal
Terminus		NS Intercity 12500		Rotterdam Alexander toward Leeuwarden
Rotterdam Noord toward Uitgeest		NS Sprinter 4000		Terminus
Schiedam Centrum toward Hoek van Holland Strand		NS Sprinter 4100		Terminus
Schiedam Centrum toward Maassluis West		NS Sprinter 4200		Terminus
Schiedam Centrum toward Den Haag Centraal		NS Sprinter 5000		Rotterdam Blaak toward Breda
Schiedam Centrum toward Den Haag Centraal		NS Sprinter 5100		Rotterdam Blaak toward Roosendaal
Terminus		NS Sprinter 9700		Rotterdam Noord toward Gouda Goverwelle

Panorama of Rotterdam Centraal

Metro services

Rotterdam Centraal currently serves as a terminus for metro line D, while line E trains continue further south to Slinge station, sharing the section between Rotterdam Centraal and Slinge with line D.

Preceding station		Rotterdam Metro		Following station
Stadhuis toward De Akkers		Line D		Terminus
Stadhuis toward Slinge		Line E		Blijdorp toward Den Haag Centraal

Tram services

The station is served by almost all lines in the Rotterdam tramway network (4, 7, 8, 10, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25 and 29).

Bus services

• 33 Rotterdam Centraal - Blijdorp Zoo - Overschie - Rotterdam-The Hague Airport
• 38 Rotterdam Centraal - Oud-Mathenesse - Schiedam Centrum
• 39 Rotterdam Centraal - Crooswijk
• 40 Rotterdam Centraal - Blijdorp Zoo - Overschie - Delft University - Delft
• 44 Rotterdam Centraal - Erasmus University - Carnisse - Zuidplein
• 48 Rotterdam Centraal - Beurs - Blaak - Kop van Zuid - Station Zuid
• Eurolines

See also

• RandstadRail
• Nederlandse Spoorwegen

External links

• (Dutch) Rotterdam Centraal
• NS website (Dutch)
• Dutch Public Transport journey planner (Dutch)
• RET website (Dutch)
• RET Network Map (Dutch)