Den Haag Centraal railway station

Den Haag Centraal
Den Haag Centraal, exterior
General information
LocationKoningin Julianaplein 10
The Hague, South Holland
Netherlands
Coordinates52°4′54″N 4°19′45″E / 52.08167°N 4.32917°E / 52.08167; 4.32917
Operated byNederlandse Spoorwegen
Line(s)Gouda–Den Haag railway
Platforms10
Other information
Station codeGvc
History
Opened28 May 1976
Services
Preceding station Nederlandse Spoorwegen Following station
Terminus NS Intercity 700 Leiden Centraal
towards Groningen
NS Intercity 1100 Den Haag Hollands Spoor
NS Intercity 1700 Gouda
towards Enschede
NS Intercity 1800 Leiden Centraal
towards Leeuwarden
NS Intercity 2000 Gouda
NS Intercity 2100 Leiden Centraal
NS Intercity 11700 Gouda
NS Sprinter 4600 Den Haag Laan van NOI
NS Sprinter 5000 Den Haag Hollands Spoor
towards Dordrecht
NS Sprinter 5100 Den Haag Hollands Spoor
towards Roosendaal
NS Sprinter 6300 Den Haag Laan van NOI
towards Haarlem
NS Sprinter 6800 Voorburg
NS Sprinter 6900 Voorburg
Location
Den Haag Centraal is located in Southwest Randstad
Den Haag Centraal
Den Haag Centraal
Location within Southwest Randstad
Den Haag Centraal is located in Netherlands
Den Haag Centraal
Den Haag Centraal
Den Haag Centraal (Netherlands)

Den Haag Centraal (Dutch pronunciation: [dɛn ˌɦaːx sɛnˈtraːl]; English: "The Hague Central") is the largest railway station in the city of The Hague in South Holland, Netherlands, and with twelve tracks, the largest terminal station in the Netherlands. The railway station opened in 1973, adjacent to its predecessor: Den Haag Staatsspoor, which was subsequently demolished. It is the western terminus of the Gouda–Den Haag railway.

History

Staatsspoor in the early 20th century
Staatsspoor in 1972, with the new Centraal Station under construction in the background

The oldest station in The Hague is Den Haag Hollands Spoor, opened in 1843 by the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij when the railway between Amsterdam and Leiden was extended to The Hague and Rotterdam. This station was located at some distance from the city centre, just across what was then the municipal boundary of Rijswijk. In 1870, the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS) opened a second station in The Hague closer to the city centre. This station, Den Haag Rijnspoor, would service eastbound trains to Gouda and Utrecht. When the NRS was nationalised in 1890, this Gouda–Den Haag railway became the property of the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen, and the station was renamed Den Haag Staatsspoor.

Den Haag Staatsspoor was a small building designed by A.W. van Erkel situated parallel to the railway, with the entrance facing sideways toward the city centre. This was designed to facilitate an extension of the railway to Scheveningen, which was constructed in 1907 but closed again in 1953. Staatsspoor was connected to Hollands Spoor and the Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway for passengers in the late 19th century, but that connection, too, was later discontinued.

In 1962, urban designer David Jokinen saw an opportunity to put an end to the situation with two main stations where Staatsspoor and Hollands Spoor each served only part of the rail traffic. The Jokinen Plan included demolishing the Staatsspoor station entirely. The railway from Utrecht and Gouda would terminate at Hollands Spoor, which would then become the city's central railway station. The demolition of the railway to Staatsspoor, meanwhile, would make space for an urban motorway and a monorail line. However, the plan was never realised.

In the 1960s, Nederlandse Spoorwegen planned for The Hague to get a central railway station. While it initially intended to rebuild Hollands Spoor into a central railway station, The municipality of The Hague resisted this plan because it preferred a location closer to the city centre so that government buildings would be more accessible. Moreover, the buildings around Hollands Spoor provided little space for expansion of tracks and platforms in the future. It was therefore decided that a new station would be built next to Staatsspoor. With plans for an extension of the railway to Scheveningen definitively cancelled, this new station would become the terminal station of the Gouda–Den Haag railway. Construction started in 1970, and on 27 September 1973, the construction had advanced enough to allow for the opening a number of platforms. Trains previously headed for Staatsspoor were transferred to Centraal Station, and the now-redundant Staatsspoor was demolished in the same year. The bus platform was opened in 1975, and construction of Centraal Station finalised in 1976 with the opening of its tram station. The train station was officially opened on 28 May of that year. A chord to connect the station to Den Haag Laan van NOI and the railway to Amsterdam was also completed in 1975, while a chord to connect it to Den Haag Hollands Spoor and the railway to Rotterdam was completed the following year. This ensured that trains coming from north, east and south could all reach Den Haag Centraal.

Although Centraal station is the largest station in The Hague, it is served only by terminating trains; Intercity and international trains travelling between Amsterdam and Rotterdam stop only at Hollands Spoor station, while trains from Utrecht and Gouda can only reach Centraal station. The Hague is the only city in the Netherlands retaining two separate major railway hubs, although since its opening Amsterdam Zuid station has been growing in importance as a second major railway hub for Amsterdam, alternative to Amsterdam Centraal station.

By the 2010s, the number of travellers per day had grown to 190,000, and Den Haag Centraal had outgrown its capacity. In order to increase the station's capacity, a renovation of its main hall was started in 2011. The roof was replaced by one which is higher, and made of diamond-shaped glass plates placed in a framework of stainless steel. Moreover, more commercial space was added next to both side entrances, and new tiling was placed. The new main hall was opened by State Secretary Sharon Dijksma and mayor Jozias van Aartsen on 1 February 2016.

Train services

Main hall of Den Haag Centraal in 2016
The elevated tram station above the mainline tracks

There are 22 scheduled trains per hour that leave Den Haag Centraal on a normal weekday (07:00 - 20:00). Sprinter services call at every station along the way whilst Intercity trains only stop at the major stations. There are 6 trains an hour (each way) connecting Den Haag Centraal with Rotterdam Centraal, 6 trains an hour connecting it with Utrecht and 4 with Amsterdam.

Series Type Route Frequency
700 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Leiden Centraal - Schiphol Airport - A'dam Zuid - Almere Centrum - Lelystad Centrum - Zwolle - Groningen 1x per hour
1100 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Den Haag HS - Delft - Rotterdam Centraal - Breda - Tilburg - Eindhoven 2x per hour
1700 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Gouda - Utrecht Centraal - Amersfoort Centraal - Apeldoorn - Deventer - Almelo - Hengelo - Enschede 1x per hour (Forms half hourly service between Den Haag Centraal and Amersfoort Centraal with the 11700)
1800 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Leiden Centraal - Schiphol Airport - A'dam Zuid - Almere Centrum - Lelystad Centrum - Zwolle - Leeuwarden 1x per hour
2000 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Gouda - Utrecht Centraal 2x per hour
2100 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Leiden Centraal - Haarlem - A'dam Sloterdijk - Amsterdam Centraal 2x per hour
4600 Sprinter Den Haag Centraal - Leiden Centraal - Schiphol Airport - A'dam Sloterdijk - Amsterdam Centraal

(Continues as 14600 to Almere - Lelystad - Zwolle)

2x per hour
5000 Sprinter Den Haag Centraal - Den Haag HS - Delft - Rotterdam Centraal - Dordrecht 2x per hour (Forms a quarter hourly service with the 5100)
5100 Sprinter Den Haag Centraal - Den Haag HS - Delft - Rotterdam Centraal - Dordrecht 2x per hour (Forms a quarter hourly service with the 5000)
6300 Sprinter Den Haag Centraal - Leiden Centraal - Haarlem 2x per hour
6800 Sprinter Den Haag Centraal - Gouda - Gouda Goverwelle 2x per hour
6900 Sprinter Den Haag Centraal - Gouda - Utrecht Centraal - Tiel 2x per hour
11700 Intercity Den Haag Centraal - Gouda - Utrecht Centraal - Amersfoort Centraal - Amersfoort Schothorst 1x per hour (Forms half hourly service between Den Haag Centraal and Amersfoort Centraal with the 1700)

Other transport

Tram services

Den Haag Centraal is a public transport hub and a major nodal hub for the tram network run by HTM Personenvervoer. The railway station features two separate sets of platforms.

Upper tram station

These are two elevated island platforms serving four tracks, located above and lying perpendicular to the heavy rail tracks, serving lines 2, 3, 4, and 6. Regular lines 2 and 6 use the inner tracks, while the RandstadRail lines 3 and 4 use the outer tracks. They connect directly to the city centre tunnel to the west and the elevated tracks to Ternoot and Beatrixkwartier to the east.

Platform Line Destination Via
A  3  Den Haag Loosduinen Tramtunnel, Prinsegracht, HMC Westeinde, Bomen/-Vruchtenbuurt, Bohemen
 4  Den Haag De Uithof Tramtunnel, Prinsegracht, HMC Westeinde, Rustenburg/Oostbroek, Leyenburg, Bouwlust
 34  Den Haag De Savonin Lohmanplein Tramtunnel, Prinsegracht, HMC Westeinde, Bomen/-Vruchtenbuurt
B  2  Den Haag Kraayenstein Tramtunnel, Prinsegracht, HMC Westeinde, Nieuw Eykenduynen, Oud Eik en Duinen, Houtwijk, Loosduinen
 6  Den Haag Leyenburg Tramtunnel, Prinsegracht, Schilderswijk, Haagse Markt, Transvaalkwartier, Rustenburg/Oostbroek
C  2  Leidschendam Ternoot, Bezuidenhout, Laan van NOI, Voorburg 't Loo, Essesteijn, Leidsenhage
 6  Leidschendam Noord Ternoot, Bezuidenhout, Haagse Hout, Station Mariahoeve, Essesteijn, Leidsenhage
D  3  Zoetermeer Centrum Beatrixkwartier, Laan van NOI, Voorburg 't Loo, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Forepark, Leidschenveen, Zoetermeerse Rijweg, Voorweg, Centrum-West, Seghwaert, Zoetermeerse Krakeling
 4  Lansingerland-Zoetermeer Beatrixkwartier, Laan van NOI, Voorburg 't Loo, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Forepark, Leidschenveen, Zoetermeerse Rijweg, Voorweg, Centrum-West, Seghwaert, Oosterheem
 34  Lansingerland-Zoetermeer Beatrixkwartier, Laan van NOI, Voorburg 't Loo, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Forepark, Leidschenveen, Zoetermeerse Rijweg, Voorweg, Centrum-West, Seghwaert, Oosterheem
Lower tram station

These are two ground-level side platforms and one island platform between them, located parallel to the heavy rail tracks outside the south-western entrance. All other city tram lines that call at the station use these platforms.

Platform Line Destination Via
E  9  Scheveningen Noord Malieveld, Koninginnegracht, Madurodam, Westbroekpark, Circustheater, Kurhaus
 17  Den Haag Statenkwartier Korte Voorhout, Buitenhof, Zeeheldenkwartier, Kunstmuseum
F  15  Nootdorp Korte Voorhout, Buitenhof, Centrum, Bierkade, Waldorpstraat/Station Hollands Spoor, Laakkwartier, Rijswijk, Hoornbrug, Broekpolder, P+R Hoornwijck, Ypenburg
G  16  Wateringen Kalvermarkt-Stadhuis, Bierkade, Station Hollands Spoor, Laakkwartier, Spoorwijk, Station Moerwijk, Moerwijk, Winkelcentrum Leyweg, Morgenstond, Hoge Veld, Wateringse Veld
H  9  Vrederust Kalvermarkt-Stadhuis, Bierkade, Station Hollands Spoor, Stationsbuurt, Zuiderpark, Moerwijk, Winkelcentrum Leyweg, Morgenstond
 17  Wateringen Rijswijkseplein, Station Hollands Spoor, Laakkwartier, Spoorwijk, Plaspoelpolder, Rijswijk Station, In de Bogaard, Eikelenburg, Wateringse Veld

Metro services

New metro station

The Rotterdam-based RET operates RandstadRail line E, a high-capacity metro service via Leidschenveen and Pijnacker to Rotterdam Centraal station. From there it shares track with line D of the Rotterdam Metro and terminates at Slinge station.

Until August 2016, these services used platforms 11 and 12 of the mainline station, alongside the heavy rail tracks. Since then, two dedicated elevated platforms have come into use. Here, metro trains use the high-level side platforms; the low-level island platform is used by RandstadRail trams in case of emergency, when the connecting tracks via Beatrixkwartier cannot be used.

Bus services

There is a bus platform above the rail roads, which is connected to the Prins Bernhardviaduct running over the tracks. The platform is accessible from the station's main hall. Several city and regional lines of three different carriers stop here. HTM's bus lines starting with an N are night buses and only run on Fridays and Saturdays.

Platform Line Destination Via Carrier
I All Final destination
J 24 Den Haag Kijkduin Centrum, Kneuterdijk, Plein 1813, Javastraat, Vredespaleis, Duinoord, Kunstmuseum, Vogelwijk, Bohemen HTM
K 22 Den Haag Duindorp Centrum, Kneuterdijk, Plein 1813, Javastraat, Madurodam, Kurhaus, Scheveningen
28 Den Haag Zuiderstrand Centrum, Kneuterdijk, Plein 1813, Javastraat, Vredespaleis, World Forum, Westduinweg
L 24 Station Mariahoeve Haagse Hout, Mariahoeve
M 20 Duinzigt Malieveld, Benoordenhout, HMC Bronovo, Waalsdorperweg
29 Den Haag Oude Waalsdorperweg Malieveld, Benoordenhout, HMC Bronovo, Waalsdorperweg
N 22 Rijswijk De Schilp Station Hollands Spoor, MegaStores, Laakkwartier, Rijswijk Station, Bogaard stadscentrum, Steenvoorde
29 Station Rijswijk Station Hollands Spoor, MegaStores, Laakkwartier
O 28 Station Voorburg Binckhorst
P 45 Leiden, Centraal Station Beatrixkwartier/Bezuidenhout, Voorburg (Station, Station Leidschendam-Voorburg), GGZ Rivierduinen, Voorschoten, Station Lammenschans, Breestraat EBS
46 Wassenaar, Duinrell Beatrixkwartier/Bezuidenhout, Voorburg (Station, Station Leidschendam-Voorburg), Leidschendam (HMC Antoniushove, Mall of the Netherlands, GGZ Rivierduinen), Voorschoten (Station, Wassenaar (Van Oldenbarneveltweg)
Q 43 Leiden, Centraal Station Bezuidenhout, Marlot, Wassenaar (De Kieviet, van Oldenbarneveltweg, Maaldrift), Haagse Schouw, Universiteit Leiden
44 Wassenaar, Duinrell Bezuidenhout, Marlot, Wassenaar (De Kieviet, van Oldenbarneveltweg)
R 382 Waddinxveen, Station Haagse Poort, Voorburg, Zoetermeer (Station/Mandelabrug) Arriva
383 Rotterdam, Capelsebrug Haagse Poort, Voorburg, Zoetermeer (Station/Mandelabrug, Lansingerland-Zoetermeer), Moerkapelle, Zevenhuizen, Rotterdam (Metro Nesselande), Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel (Zilvermos, Reigerhof, Station), Capelle aan den IJssel (Metro De Terp, Metro Centrum)
384 Waddinxveen, Station Haagse Poort, Voorburg, Zoetermeer (Station/Mandelabrug, Lansingerland-Zoetermeer), Moerkapelle, Zevenhuizen
386 Gouda, Station Haagse Poort, Voorburg, Zoetermeer (Station/Mandelabrug, Lansingerland-Zoetermeer), Moerkapelle, Zevenhuizen, Waddinxveen
S 144 Wassenaar, Duinrell Van Oldenbarneveltweg EBS
385 Sassenheim, Station Wassenaar (Kerkehout, Deijleroord), Valkenburg, Katwijk, Noordwijk, Voorhout Arriva
685 Oegstgeest, Leidsebuurt Wassenaar (Kerkehout, Deijleroord)

See also


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