Owned by Nederlandse Spoorwegen Province South Holland Platforms in use 6 | Opened 17 August 1842 Owner Nederlandse Spoorwegen Tracks 10 | |
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Location Leiden, South Holland,
Netherlands Line(s) Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway
Weesp–Leiden railway
Woerden–Leiden railway Connections Arriva: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 20, 21, 30, 31, 37, 38, 45 (shared with Veolia Transport), 50, 56, 57, 169, 182, 183, 186, 187, 221, 250, 269, 365, 400, 510, 854
Veolia Transport: 43, 45 (shared with Arriva) Address 2312 AJ Leiden, Netherlands Architects Dirk Margadant, Harry Reijnders, Hermanus Gerardus Jacob Schelling Similar Leiden Lammenschans railway st, De Vink railway station, Den Haag Centraal railway st, Voorschoten railway station, Schiphol Airport railway st | ||
Leiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a city in the Netherlands.
Contents
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.
Accidents and incidents
Train services
As of 11 December 2016, the following train services call at this station:
Bus services
For the bus services are the responsible companies Arriva and Veolia Transport.