Leiden Centraal railway station
Leiden Centraal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Leiden Centraal railway station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Leiden, South Holland, ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 52°09′59″N 4°28′56″E / 52.16639°N 4.48222°E | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Nederlandse Spoorwegen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line(s) | Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway Weesp–Leiden railway Woerden–Leiden railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Connections | ![]() ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 17 August 1842 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 nationwide smart card fare system. To implement the OV-chipkaart, ticket barriers were installed, separating the station into a paid and unpaid area. The platforms, waiting area, and several shops comprise the paid area, while the rest of the station (including ticket machines and other shops) is classified as unpaid. The barriers are still open, as the new ticket system is still optional.
Train services
The station is served by the following services:
- 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - The Hague - Amsterdam - Utrecht
- 1x per hour Intercity service The Hague - Leiden - Schiphol - Duivendrecht - Lelystad - Zwolle - Groningen
- 1x per hour Intercity service The Hague - Leiden - Schiphol - Duivendrecht - Lelystad - Zwolle - Leeuwarden
- 2x per hour Intercity service Amsterdam - Haarlem - Leiden - The Hague
- 2x per hour Intercity service Amsterdam - Haarlem - Leiden - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht
- 2x per hour Intercity service Lelystad - Almere - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Leiden - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Vlissingen
- 2x per hour Intercity service Leiden - Alphen aan den Rijn - Utrecht
- 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) Leiden - Alphen aan den Rijn - Gouda (Peak hours only)
- 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) The Hague - Leiden - Haarlem
- 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) The Hague - Leiden - Schiphol - Hilversum - Utrecht
- 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) Leiden - Schiphol - Duivendrecht - Almere (Peak hours only)
Bus services
For the bus services are the responsible companies Arriva and Veolia Transport.
Gallery
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Exit near the Leiden University hospital
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Bicycles near the railway station
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Leiden Centraal in 1970
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Benelux train, 1986