Rotterdam Centraal station

Rotterdam Centraal station (Dutch pronunciation: [rɔtərˈdɑm sɛnˈtraːl], English: Rotterdam Central station) is the main railway station of the city Rotterdam in South Holland, Netherlands. The station received an average of 112,000 passengers daily in 2019.^[1] The current station building, located at Station Square, was officially opened in March 2014.^[2]

Rotterdam Centraal
The station building in February 2014
General information
Location	Stationsplein 8a Rotterdam Netherlands
Coordinates	51°55′28″N 4°28′10″E
Line(s)	Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway Breda–Rotterdam railway HSL-Zuid Utrecht–Rotterdam railway
Tracks	13
Connections	RET Rotterdam Metro:  D   E  RET Rotterdam Tram: 4, 7, 8, 12, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25 RET: 33, 38, 39, 40, 44, 48 Eurolines
Construction
Parking	97 spaces
Bicycle facilities	Parking station, racks, repair shop
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Rtd
History
Opened	1847; 177 years ago (1847) (first) 21 May 1957; 67 years ago (1957-05-21) (train) 9 February 1968; 56 years ago (1968-02-09) (metro/subway) March 2014; 10 years ago (2014-03) current building)
Services Preceding station Eurostar Following station Amsterdam Centraal Terminus Eurostar Brussels-South towards London St Pancras Schiphol Airport towards Amsterdam Centraal Antwerpen-Centraal towards Paris-Nord Antwerpen-Centraal towards Disneyland Paris Eurostar (winter) Antwerpen-Centraal towards Bourg-Saint-Maurice Eurostar (summer) Antwerpen-Centraal towards Marseille-Saint-Charles Preceding station NS International Following station Schiphol Airport towards Amsterdam Centraal Intercity Direct 9200 Breda towards Brussels-South Preceding station Nederlandse Spoorwegen Following station Rotterdam Alexander towards Groningen NS Intercity 500 Terminus Rotterdam Alexander towards Leeuwarden NS Intercity 600 Schiphol Airport towards Amsterdam Centraal NS Intercity Direct 900 Breda Terminus NS Intercity Direct 1000 Terminus Delft towards Den Haag Centraal NS Intercity 1100 Breda towards Eindhoven Centraal Delft towards Utrecht Centraal NS Nachtnet 1400 Night train Terminus Schiedam Centrum towards Amsterdam Centraal NS Intercity 2200 Rotterdam Blaak towards Vlissingen Schiedam Centrum towards Lelystad Centrum NS Intercity 2400 Rotterdam Blaak towards Dordrecht Rotterdam Alexander towards Utrecht Centraal NS Intercity 2800 Terminus Schiedam Centrum towards Arnhem Centraal NS Intercity 3200 Terminus NS Nachtnet 21400 Night train Dordrecht towards Eindhoven Centraal Rotterdam Noord towards Uitgeest NS Sprinter 4000 Terminus Schiedam Centrum towards Den Haag Centraal NS Sprinter 5000 Rotterdam Blaak towards Dordrecht NS Sprinter 5100 Preceding station European Sleeper Following station Roosendaal towards Brussels-South Brussels - Prague Den Haag HS towards Praha hl.n. Amsterdam Centraal One-way operation Preceding station Rotterdam Metro Following station Stadhuis towards De Akkers Line D Terminus Stadhuis towards Slinge Line E Blijdorp towards Den Haag Centraal
Location Rotterdam Centraal Location within Southwest Randstad Show map of Southwest Randstad Rotterdam Centraal Rotterdam Centraal (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands

History

Railways in Rotterdam in 1936.

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

Before World War II, 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 and eastbound trains towards Dordrecht
• Rotterdam Beurs: towards Dordrecht, connected to Delftsche Poort
• Rotterdam Maas: terminus for eastbound trains to Gouda and Utrecht
• Rotterdam Hofplein: terminus for the Hofpleinlijn, an alternative line to Den Haag HS, also going to Scheveningen.

Delftse Poort station was badly damaged by bombing in the Rotterdam Blitz. The new Centraal station was rebuilt just westwards of the site. Its original building was designed by architect Sybold van Ravesteyn 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) 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 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 platforms 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

Rearranged roof text spelled the 1957 Central Station's swan song.

The clock and letters from 1957 were carried over on the new station

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, Brussels and Paris, and to accommodate for RandstadRail. 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, NS and the Municipality of Rotterdam awarded the contract to Team CS, a cooperative between Benthem Crouwel Architekten, MVSA Meyer & Van Schooten Architects, and West 8, for transforming the existing plans into a design for the new Central Station.

On 16 May 2006 Mayor Ivo Opstelten 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 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.^[3] 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. Some modifications to accommodate security screening of Eurostar passengers from the UK were made and finished in March 2018.^[4]

In addition to the railway station, the old metro station of Rotterdam Centraal with two tracks and an island platform 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, 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) 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).^[5][6] However, the launch was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7] The inauguration of juxtaposed controls in the station subsequently took place on 26 October 2020.^[8]

Train services

v t e Rotterdam Centraal station
Legend
Train services: A'dam–Haarlem–R'dam ry. to The Hague A'dam–Schiphol ry. to Schiphol Airport Metro access: Utrecht–R'dam ry. to Utrecht Metro station  E  to The Hague 2 3 1  D   E  to Beurs 2 a 4 a 6 a 8 a 12 a 14 a 16 3 a 7 a 9 a 11 a 13 a 15 a 5 10 Border control terminal for cross-Channel trains 3 b 7 b 9 b 11 b 13 b 15 b A B 2 b 4 b 6 b 8 b 12 b 14 b Tram lines 4, 7-8, 20-21, and 23-25 to Kruisplein C D F E Tram lines 4, 7-8, 12, 21, and 23-25 to Weena Breda–R'dam ry. to Breda HSL-Zuid/HSL 4/Belgian ry. line 25 to Antwerp

Panorama of the platforms at Rotterdam Centraal in 2014

As one of the four main stations in the Netherlands, Rotterdam Centraal is well connected with cities all over the country. Major destinations include: Amsterdam, Amersfoort, Bergen op Zoom, Breda, Dordrecht, Delft, The Hague (Den Haag), Eindhoven, Gouda, Groningen, Haarlem, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Middelburg, Roosendaal, Tilburg, Utrecht, Venlo, Vlissingen and Zwolle. There are also international services to Antwerp, Brussels and Paris up to fourteen times a day and to Disneyland Paris twice per day. Eurostar services from London to Amsterdam Centraal also call here. Direct services to London were due to start on 18 May 2020,^[6] but this was postponed to 26 October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[9]

As of 15 December 2019^[update], 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
  • European Sleeper: Brussels – Rotterdam Central – Amsterdam – Berlin – Prague
• 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 line D, while line E trains continue further north to Voorburg and The Hague, 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:

Line	Route	Frequency	Notes
4	Marconiplein Metro station - Delfshaven - Delfshaven Metro station - Eendrachtsplein Metro station - Centraal Station - Weena - Oude Noorden - Station Noord - Hillegersberg - Molenlaan	Outside Summer and Christmas holidays: 6x/hour, but only 4x/hour on weekends and only 3x/hour on evenings Summer and Christmas holidays: 4x/hour, but only 3x/hour on evenings
7	Willemsplein - Willemskade - Eendrachtsplein Metro station - Centraal Station - Weena - Crooswijk - Kralingen - Voorschoterlaan Metro station - Woudestein - Erasmus Universiteit	Outside holidays: 6x/hour, but only 4x/hour on weekends and only 3x/hour on evenings Holidays: 4x/hour, but only 3x/hour on evenings
8	Spangen - Marconiplein Metro station - Delfshaven - Delfshaven Metro station - Euromast/Erasmus MC - Leuvehaven Metro station - Beurs Metro station - Lijnbaan - Centraal Station - Weena - Oude Noorden - Station Noord - Kleiweg	Outside holidays: 6x/hour, but only 4x/hour on weekends and only 3x/hour on evenings Holidays: 4x/hour, but only 3x/hour on evenings
12	Centraal Station - Weena - Stadhuis Metro station - Beurs Metro station - Leuvehaven Metro station - Wilhelminaplein Metro station - Kop van Zuid - De Kuip (Stadion Feijenoord)		Special tram line that operates only at football matches and concerts at De Kuip
20	Kreekhuizen - Station Lombardijen - Lombardijen - Randweg - Laan op Zuid - Wilhelminaplein Metro station - Leuvehaven Metro station - Beurs Metro station - Lijnbaan - Centraal Station	Outside holidays: 8x/hour Holidays: 6x/hour	Weekdays rush hours only
21	De Esch - Woudestein - Oostplein Metro station - Station Blaak - Beurs Metro station - Stadhuis Metro station - Weena - Centraal Station - Middellandstraat - Nieuwe Westen - Marconiplein Metro station - Station Schiedam Centrum - Schiedam, Parkweg - Station Schiedam Nieuwland - Schiedam, Bachplein - Schiedam, Woudhoek	Outside Summer and Christmas holidays: 4x/hour, but only 3x/hour on weekends Summer and Christmas holidays: 4x/hour, but only 3x/hour on evenings	Not on evenings and Sunday mornings
23	Beverwaard - Keizerswaard - IJsselmonde - De Kuip (Stadion Feijenoord) - Kop van Zuid - Wilhelminaplein Metro station - Leuvehaven Metro station - Beurs Metro station - Stadhuis Metro station - Weena - Centraal Station - Middellandstraat - Nieuwe Westen - Marconiplein Metro station	Outside Summer and Christmas holidays: 8x/hour, but only 6x/hour on weekends and only 4x/hour on evenings Summer and Christmas holidays: 6x/hour, but only 4x/hour on evenings
24	De Esch - Woudestein - Oostplein Metro station - Station Blaak - Beurs Metro station - Stadhuis Metro station - Weena - Centraal Station - Middellandstraat - Nieuwe Westen - Marconiplein Metro station - Station Schiedam Centrum - Schiedam, Parkweg - Station Schiedam Nieuwland - Schiedam, Bachplein - Vlaardingen, Holy	Outside Summer and Christmas holidays: 4x/hour, but only 3x/hour on weekends Summer and Christmas holidays: 3x/hour
25	Barendrecht, Carnisselande - Zuidwijk - Randweg - Laan op Zuid - Wilhelminaplein Metro station - Leuvehaven Metro station - Beurs Metro station - Lijnbaan - Centraal Station - Weena - Schiekade - Sint Franciscus Gasthuis - Melanchtonweg Metro station - Schiebroek	Outside Summer and Christmas holidays: 8x/hour, but only 6x/hour on weekends and only 4x/hour on evenings Summer and Christmas holidays: 6x/hour, but only 4x/hour on evenings

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".^[10] 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

• Nederlandse Spoorwegen
• RandstadRail

References

1. "Vijf weetjes over het jarige Rotterdam Centraal". Prorail.nl. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
2. Rotterdam Centraal station reopens with a pointed metal-clad entrance, Alyn Griffiths, 22 March 2014
3. King Willem Alexander opens new Rotterdam Central Station
4. "Rotterdam Centraal station to be modified for Eurostar services".
5. "Transport Secretary hails new horizons for rail travel across Europe". Gov.uk. HM Government. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
6. "Eurostar transforms link between London and Amsterdam with services now direct both to and from the Netherlands". Eurostar. 4 February 2020. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
7. Hampson, Laura (30 April 2020). "Amsterdam to London Eurostar launch delayed due to coronavirus pandemic". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
8. "Eurostar's Amsterdam odyssey kicks off to little fanfare". EURACTIV. 27 October 2020.
9. "Lancering Eurostar Amsterdam - Londen uitgesteld". 26 March 2020.
10. "NS Stations - StationsHuiskamer" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2014.

External links

• Rotterdam Centraal
• NS website
• Dutch Public Transport journey planner
• RET website
• (in Dutch) RET Network Map
• (in Dutch) Live train departures for Rotterdam Centraal station