Leiden Centraal railway station

Leiden Centraal
File:Station leiden februari 2003.jpg Leiden Centraal railway station
Location	Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
Coordinates
Owned by	Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Line(s)	Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway Weesp–Leiden railway Woerden–Leiden railway
Platforms	6
Tracks	10
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)
History
Opened	17 August 1842
Services
Preceding station   Nederlandse Spoorwegen   Following station Den Haag Centraal Terminus NS Intercity 700 1x/hour; Not on late evenings and early weekend mornings. Combined half-hourly service with Intercity 12700 on section Den Haag Centraal-Zwolle. Transfer to Intercity 12500 to/from Leeuwarden at Zwolle Schiphol Airport toward Groningen Den Haag Hollands Spoor toward Rotterdam Centraal NS Nachtnet 1400 1x/hour; Nighttrain Intercity service Schiphol Airport toward Utrecht Centraal Den Haag Centraal Terminus NS Intercity 2100 2x/hour Heemstede-Aerdenhout toward Amsterdam Centraal Den Haag Laan van NOI toward Dordrecht NS Intercity 2200 2x/hour; Not on late evenings and early Sunday mornings Den Haag Laan van NOI toward Vlissingen NS Intercity 2600 2x/hour; Not on late evenings and early weekend mornings Schiphol Airport toward Lelystad Centrum Terminus NS Intercity 8800 2x/hour Leiden Lammenschans toward Utrecht Centraal Den Haag Laan van NOI toward Vlissingen NS Intercity 12600 2x/hour; Late evenings and early weekend mornings only. Transfer to Intercity 12500 to/from Leeuwarden and to Intercity 500 to/from Groningen at Zwolle Schiphol Airport toward Groningen or Leeuwarden Den Haag Centraal Terminus NS Intercity 12700 1x/hour; Not on late evenings and early weekend mornings. Combined half-hourly service with Intercity 700 on section Den Haag Centraal-Zwolle. Transfer to Intercity 500 to/from Groningen at Zwolle Schiphol Airport toward Leeuwarden Terminus NS Sprinter 4300 2x/hour; Weekdays rush hours only Sassenheim toward Almere Oostvaarders De Vink toward Den Haag Centraal NS Sprinter 5700 2x/hour Sassenheim toward Utrecht Centraal NS Sprinter 6300 2x/hour; Not on evenings and weekends Voorhout toward Haarlem Terminus NS Sprinter 6300 2x/hour; Evenings and weekends only NS Sprinter 19500 2x/hour; Weekdays rush hours only Leiden Lammenschans toward Gouda
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 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)

Gallery

• Leiden Centraal 2005.jpg

  Exit near the Leiden University hospital

• BicyclesLeiden1.JPG

  Bicycles near the railway station

External links

• NS website (Dutch)
• Dutch Public Transport journey planner (Dutch)