Leiden Centraal railway station


Leiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a town in the Netherlands.

History

Leiden Centraal station opened on 17 August 1842 as the southern terminal of the first expansion of the Old Line 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 is classified as unpaid. As of 2017 the barriers are no longer open, as the new ticket system is now mandatory

Accidents and incidents

, the following train services call at this station:

Bus services

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

Gallery