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Leiden Centraal railway station

Coordinates: 52°09′59″N 4°28′56″E / 52.16639°N 4.48222°E / 52.16639; 4.48222
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Leiden Centraal
Leiden Centraal railway station
General information
LocationLeiden, South Holland,
 Netherlands
Coordinates52°09′59″N 4°28′56″E / 52.16639°N 4.48222°E / 52.16639; 4.48222
Owned byNederlandse Spoorwegen
Line(s)Amsterdam–Rotterdam railway
Weesp–Leiden railway
Woerden–Leiden railway
Platforms6
Tracks10
ConnectionsBus transport Arriva: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 20, 21, 30, 31, 37, 38, 45 (shared with EBS), 50, 56, 57, 169, 182, 183, 186, 187, 221, 250, 269, 365, 400, 510, 854
Bus transport EBS: 43, 45 (shared with Arriva)
History
Opened17 August 1842; 182 years ago (1842-08-17)
Services
Preceding station Nederlandse Spoorwegen Following station
Den Haag Centraal
Terminus
NS Intercity 700 Schiphol Airport
towards Groningen
Den Haag Hollands Spoor NS Nachtnet 1400
Night train
Schiphol Airport
Den Haag Centraal
Terminus
NS Intercity 1800 Schiphol Airport
towards Leeuwarden
NS Intercity 2100 Heemstede-Aerdenhout
Den Haag Laan van NOI
towards Vlissingen
NS Intercity 2200
NS Intercity 2300
Den Haag Laan van NOI
towards Dordrecht
NS Intercity 2400 Schiphol Airport
Den Haag Laan van NOI NS Intercity 3200 Schiphol Airport
Den Haag Laan van NOI
towards Dordrecht
NS Intercity 3700 Schiphol Airport
towards Venlo
Terminus NS Nachtnet 24400
Night train
Schiphol Airport
NS Sprinter 3300 Sassenheim
De Vink NS Sprinter 4600 Sassenheim
NS Sprinter 6300 Voorhout
towards Haarlem
Leiden Lammenschans NS Sprinter 8800
Terminus
NS Sprinter 8900
De Vink NS Sprinter 13300
Location
Leiden Centraal is located in Southwest Randstad
Leiden Centraal
Leiden Centraal
Location within Southwest Randstad
Leiden Centraal is located in Netherlands
Leiden Centraal
Leiden Centraal
Leiden Centraal (Netherlands)

Leiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a university city in the Netherlands. In 2019, it was the nation's sixth-most important station in terms of travel numbers, with 82.689 daily passengers.[1] The station is an important transit hub for the c. 35,000 non-resident higher education students studying in the city,[2] as well as for Leiden's surrounding area, including the seaside town of Katwijk.

History

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Leiden I: Conrad's Station

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The first permanent station building in Leiden, 1843

Leiden Station opened on 17 August 1842 as the southern terminus of the first expansion of the Old Line (Dutch: Oude Lijn) from Haarlem. Because there was some delay in extending the line from the railroad bridge over the towing canal to Haarlem, a makeshift structure was constructed on the east side of the railroad bridge, which was the departure point for the first train from Leiden to Amsterdam.

A permanent building could be opened on 15 June 1843. This station was a modest, single-story affair and had been designed by railway engineer Frederik Willem Conrad, who was also responsible for Haarlem's first station.[3] It consisted of a small hall and two wings, which housed offices and services. At the time, the station site was part of the neighboring village of Oegstgeest rather than Leiden itself.

Leiden II: Margadant and Sanders' Station

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Leiden Station at the end of the 19th century

Like most of its generation, this original station soon proved to be far too small to cope with the growth of the railways, and was replaced by a new one in 1879. A basic design was produced by Dirk Margadant, which was then completed by Theodor Sanders.[4] This station took inspiration from Berlin's Lehrter Bahnhof, with which it shared a triumphal arch flanked by double columns in the façade.[5] Margadant would return to this idea in a more stylized form in his later design for the (still extant) railway station in Haarlem (1908).

While the new station's design was generally well-regarded, the ground-level crossings of the busy railway line caused increasing traffic and safety problems as the years went by.[6] Moreover, goods facilities were located at the front of the station and further limited space and access. This situation was made worse after the Blauwe Tram ("blue tram") linking Leiden to Scheveningen was connected to the station in 1924.

Leiden III: Schelling's Station

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Leiden Station, around 1970.

These traffic issues led to the decision to elevate the railway lines, which necessitated reconstructing the station. An entirely new station building was opened in August of 1953.[7] This station was designed by Herman G.J. Schelling, who had gained some renown as the architect of Amsterdam's Muiderpoort station. Stylistically, it matched his other post-war designs such as those in Enschede and Hengelo. Schelling's design was not received favorably, also because its rather austere style contrasted markedly with the opulent forms of its predecessor and was regarded as unbefitting Leiden's status as the predominant university city in the country.[8] In addition, increasing numbers of passengers soon caused the building to become overcrowded.

Leiden IV: Reijnders' Station

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The fourth, and current, station was designed by Harry Reijnders and completed in May of 1996. Consisting of a white lattice structure, a curved, shell-like entrance leads into a ticketing hall lined with shops and restaurants. Initially, the floor had a bright blue and white finish. Problems with passengers slipping required that the floor be replaced with standard tiling. On 22 May 1997, Leiden Station was renamed Leiden Centraal (Leiden Central) in recognition of the station's national signficance.

Smart card era

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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. This caused some controversy because the building was also a popular and convenient walking route to the area at the station's rear, which contains the Leiden University Medical Center.[9] 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. As of 2017 the barriers are no longer open, as the new ticket system is now mandatory.

Meetings at the station

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First and Second-class waiting room at Leiden, 1941

In 1910, Sigmund Freud, the father of Psychoanalysis, and conductor and composer Gustav Mahler met at Leiden station.[10] It was also the site where the Leiden physicist Paul Ehrenfest picked up various friends and colleagues such as Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr and J. Robert Oppenheimer.[11]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 28 November 2011, a Sprinter collided with another, stationary Sprinter. Three passengers were injured.[12]

Train services

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As of 13 December 2020, the following train services call at this station:

  • 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) service Rotterdam - (Gouda -) The Hague - Amsterdam - Utrecht (Only on night after Wednesday and Thursday via Gouda)
  • 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 (Not after 22.00)
  • 2x per hour Intercity service Amsterdam - Haarlem - Leiden - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Vlissingen
  • 2x per hour Intercity service Lelystad - Almere - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Leiden - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht (Not after 20.00 and on Sundays)
  • 2x per hour Intercity service Leiden - Alphen aan den Rijn - Utrecht
  • 2x per hour Intercity service Dordrecht - Rotterdam - The Hague - Leiden - Schiphol - Utrecht - 's Hertogenbosch - Eindhoven - Venlo (after 20.00 and on Sundays)
  • 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) Hoorn - Zaandam - Amsterdam - Schiphol - Hoofdorp (- Leiden) (After 20.00 not to Leiden)
  • 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) The Hague - Leiden - Schiphol - Amsterdam (Connected to sprinter in direction Zwolle at Amsterdam Centraal)
  • 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) (The Hague -) Leiden - Haarlem (After 20.00 not to The Hague)
  • 2x per hour local service (Sprinter) Leiden - Alphen aan den Rijn, only in rushhours and an hour before and after rushhours.

Bus services

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For the bus services the responsible companies are Arriva and Veolia Transport.

No. Route Via
City service Leiden
1 Station De Vink - Leiderdorp, Rijnland Ziekenhuis Stevenshof, Centraal Station, Station Lammenschans, Leiderdorp
2 Station De Vink - Leiderdorp, Oranjewijk Stevenshof, Centraal Station, Breestraat, Station Lammenschans, Leiderdorp, Rijnland Ziekenhuis
3 Station De Vink - Leiden, Merenwijk Fortuinwijk, Station Lammenschans, Breestraat, Centraal Station, LUMC, Groenoord
4 Leiden, Zuidwest - Leiden, Merenwijk Fortuinwijk, Breestraat, Centraal Station, LUMC, Groenoord
5 Voorschoten, Starrenburg - Leiderdorp, Leyhof Station Voorschoten, Vlietwijk, Noord-Hofland, Haagweg-Noord, Centraal Station, Binnenstad, De Waard, De Kooi, Rietschans, Buitenhof
6 Leiden, Centraal Station - Leiderdorp, Leyhof Binnenstad, De Waard, De Kooi, Rietschans, Buitenhof
7 Leiden, Centraal Station - Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk, Heineken ?
8 Leiden, Centraal Station - Oegstgeest, Haaswijk ?
Around Leiden
20 Leiden, Centraal Station - Noordwijk, Duinpark Oegstgeest, Rijnsburg
21 Leiden, Centraal Station - Noordwijk, Duinpark Oegstgeest, Rijnsburg
30 Leiden, Centraal Station - Katwijk, ESA ESTEC Transferium A44, Valkenburg, Katwijk aan den Rijn
31 Leiden, Centraal Station - Katwijk, Boulevard-South Transferium A44, Valkenburg, Katwijk aan den Rijn
37 Leiden, Centraal Station - Katwijk, Raadhuis Oegstgeest, Rijnsburg, Katwijk aan den Rijn
38 Leiden, Centraal Station - Katwijk, Raadhuis Transferium A44, Valkenburg, Katwijk aan den Rijn
43 Leiden, Centraal Station - Den Haag, Centraal Station Universiteitsterrein, Haagse Schouw, Wassenaar (De Kieviet, van Oldenbarneveltweg, Maaldrift), Mariahove, Bezuidenhout
45 Leiden, Centraal Station - Den Haag, Centraal Station Breestraat, Station Lammenschans, Voorschoten, GGZ Haagstreek, Station Leidschendam-Voorburg, Station Voorburg, Voorburg, Beatrixkwartier/Bezuidenhout
50 Leiden, Centraal Station - Haarlem, Station Oegstgeest, Warmond, Sassenheim, Lisse, Hillegom, Bennebroek, Heemstede
56 Leiden, Centraal Station - Leimuiden Leiderdorp, Oud Ade, Rijpwetering, Nieuwe Wetering, Roelofarendsveen, Oude Wetering, Leimuiderbrug
57 Leiden, Centraal Station - Nieuw-Vennep, Station Oegstgeest, Voorhout, Noordwijkerhout, Hillegom, Station, Beinsdorp
169 Leiden, Centraal Station - Alphen aan den Rijn, Station Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk, Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, Koudekerk aan den Rijn
182 Leiden, Centraal Station - Alphen aan den Rijn, Station Leiderdorp, Hoogmade, Woubrugge, Ter Aar
183 Leiden, Centraal Station - Alphen aan den Rijn, Station Leiderdorp, Hoogmade, Woubrugge
221 Leiden, Centraal Station - Noordwijk, Picképlein Transferium A44, Valkenburg, Katwijk
250 Leiden, Centraal Station - Lisse, Keukenhofdreef Sassenheim
365 Leiden, Centraal Station - Schiphol, Plaza Leiderdorp, Roelofarendsveen, Weteringbrug, Hoofddorp, De Hoek
400 Leiden, Centraal Station - Zoetermeer, Centrum-West Leiden, Zoeterwoude, Stompwijk
510 Leiden, Centraal Station - Oegstgeest, Poelgeest
854 Leiden, Centraal Station - Lisse, Keukenhof
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References

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  1. ^ Number of passenger per station, Treinreiziger.nl, 10 September 2015. Archived 13 Februari 2017.
  2. ^ City of Leiden, statistics office.
  3. ^ K. van Giffen, Station Haarlem. Hollandsche sporen door Haarlem en omstreken. Haarlem: Spaar en Hout, 2006, p. 13-19.
  4. ^ A. Den Boer, Theodor Sanders, 1847-1927. De vergeten compagnon van Berlage. Zwolle: WBooks, 2024, p. 122-123.
  5. ^ Anon. “Die Einführung der Berlin–Lehrter Eisenbahn in den Stadtbezirk Berlin und die Berliner Bahnhofsanlagen derselben.” Deutsche Bauzeitung 5, no. 27/39 (1871): p. 212–214, 305.
  6. ^ Anon., "Leiden's tweede perron - 'n onhoudbare toestand". Panorama, 3 November 1920, p. 6.
  7. ^ F. Schalij, Leidse spoorwegwerken", Leids Jaarboekje 46 (1954): p. 161-170.
  8. ^ E.g., E. van der Pol, "Ik hoef geen privé helicopter", De Volkskrant, 3 January 1987, p. 2.
  9. ^ Anon., "Ov-poortjes op Leiden Centraal gaan definitief dicht; station blijft toch doorgaande wandelroute". Omroep West, 27 November 2015.
  10. ^ "Song of a troubled heart: Mahler and Freud meet, Radio Netherlands Archives, November 15, 2006
  11. ^ M. Hollestelle, "Paul Ehrenfest. Worstelingen met de moderne wetenschap 1912 – 1933". PhD Thesis Leiden University, 2011.
  12. ^ "Drie gewonden bij treinbotsing Leiden" [Three wounded in train crash in Leiden] (in Dutch). De Telegraaf. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
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