Utrecht Centraal railway station

Utrecht Centraal
Location Netherlands
Coordinates 52°5′21″N 5°6′35″E / 52.08917°N 5.10972°ECoordinates: 52°5′21″N 5°6′35″E / 52.08917°N 5.10972°E
Operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Line(s) Amsterdam–Arnhem railway,
Utrecht–Rotterdam railway,
Utrecht–Boxtel railway,
Utrecht–Kampen railway
Platforms 14
Other information
Station code Ut
History
Opened 1843
Services
Preceding station   ICE   Following station
Terminus
Intercity-Express 100
1x/day
toward Basel SBB
Intercity-Express 120
5x/day
toward Frankfurt (Main) Hbf
CityNightLine
Terminus
CityNightLine 419
1x/day
toward München Hbf/Zürich HB
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
NS Intercity 500
1x/hour; Combined half-hourly service with Intercity 12500 on section Rotterdam Centraal-Zwolle. Transfer to Intercity 12600/12700 to/from Leeuwarden at Zwolle
toward Groningen
toward Schagen
NS Intercity 800
2x/hour; Weekdays rush hours only
toward Maastricht
toward Alkmaar
NS Intercity 800
2x/hour; Not at weekdays rush hours, evenings and Sundays
NS Intercity 800
2x/hour; Evenings and Sundays only
NS Nachtnet 1400
1x/hour; Nighttrain Intercity service
Terminus
NS Intercity 1700
1x/hour; Combined half-hourly service with Intercity 11700 on section Den Haag Centraal-Amersfoort. Transfer to Intercity 11600 to/from Amersfoort Schothorst at Amersfoort
toward Enschede
NS Intercity 2000
2x/hour; Not on late evenings and early Sunday mornings
Terminus
NS Intercity 2800
2x/hour; Not on late evenings and early Sunday mornings
toward Den Helder
NS Intercity 3000
2x/hour
(All times except late evenings and early Sunday mornings)
toward Nijmegen
(Late evenings and early Sunday mornings only)
toward Nijmegen
toward Schiphol
NS Intercity 3100
2x/hour; Not on late evenings and early Sunday mornings
toward Nijmegen
NS Intercity 3500
2x/hour; Not on evenings
toward Heerlen
NS Intercity 3500
2x/hour; Early evenings only
toward Eindhoven
NS Intercity 3500
2x/hour; Late evenings only
Terminus
NS Intercity 8800
2x/hour
NS Intercity 11700
1x/hour; Combined half-hourly service with Intercity 1700 on section Den Haag Centraal-Amersfoort. Transfer to Intercity 1600 to/from Enschede at Amersfoort
NS Intercity 12500
1x/hour; Combined half-hourly service with Intercity 500 on section Rotterdam Centraal-Zwolle. Transfer to Intercity 700/12600 to/from Groningen at Zwolle
toward Leeuwarden
TerminusNS Nachtnet 21400
1x/hour; Nighttrain Intercity service, Friday Night and Saturday Night only
toward Eindhoven
NS Sprinter 4900
2x/hour
NS Sprinter 5500
2x/hour
toward Baarn
NS Sprinter 5600
2x/hour
toward Zwolle
NS Sprinter 5700
2x/hour
Terminus
TerminusNS Sprinter 6000
2x/hour
toward Tiel
toward Woerden
NS Sprinter 6100
2x/hour; Not on evenings and weekends
Terminus
NS Sprinter 7400
2x/hour; Weekdays rush hours only
toward Rhenen
toward Breukelen
NS Sprinter 7400
2x/hour; Not on weekdays rush hours
(All times except evenings and weekends)
NS Sprinter 9800
2x/hour
Terminus
(Evenings and weekends only)
TerminusNS Sprinter 16000
2x/hour, but only 1x/hour at late evenings; Continues at/arrives at 's-Hertogenbosch as Sprinter 13600 to/from Breda
toward Breukelen
NS Sprinter 17400
2x/hour; Weekdays rush hours only
TerminusNS Stoptrein 28300
1x/hour; Spoorwegmuseum shuttle
Utrecht Maliebaan
Terminus
Location
Utrecht, central station

Utrecht Centraal is the central railway station for the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. It is the largest and busiest railway station in the Netherlands, with fourteen platforms (of which eleven are through tracks) and with more than 285,000[1] passengers per day. With Utrecht being located centrally in the Netherlands, Utrecht Centraal is also the most important railway hub of the country with more than 900 trains leaving this station per day, making it the largest junction station in the Netherlands.[2][3] Therefore, disruptions at the station can easily affect the rest of the country's railway network.[4][5]

International, national and local services call at the station, most notably the InterCityExpress trains to Frankfurt and Basel, intercity services to the northern and southern Netherlands, and local commuter services providing access to towns all over the Randstad.

History

The first station at the site was opened in 1843, when the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij opened the first station on Utrecht territory. In 1938, the station became the central station as the Maliebaanstation, on the other side of the city, was closed and the line from Hilversum was diverted into the central station.

Until the 1970s the station building of 1865 remained in place, though a fundamental renovation took place in 1936. Two years later, a fire burned down most of the building, which was subsequently rebuilt. That station building of the late 1930s was in turn demolished in the 1970s to make way for Hoog Catharijne, then Europe's largest enclosed shopping mall, which opened on 17 December 1973. Since that moment, the station hall no longer had a real entrance; the passageways of the shopping mall just continue into the station. In 1989, the station hall was enlarged to include an extra platform.

Future expansion

Scale model of the new station at Madurodam.

Between 2008 and 2016, the station is undergoing a major reconstruction, as part of a general reconstruction of the Utrecht Station Area,[6] and because of the NS-project Wereldstations. The station hall is being replaced by a new glass structure, designed by architects Benthem Crouwel Architekten,[7] the sheltering roofs on the platforms are being restored,[7] and the station is being once again separated from the Hoog Catharijne shopping area.[7] The bus station, which was located on the east side of the station (i.e. on the side of the city centre) is being split in two, with buses and trams arriving from the west of the city (among others the new suburb of Leidsche Rijn) terminating on the west side of the station to reduce traffic congestion.[8]

A scale model of the new station has been displayed at Madurodam.[9]

Train services

The following train services call at Utrecht Centraal:

Bus services

Utrecht Centraal has two bus stations. One next to the station at the city centre side (Busstation Centrum) and the other on the western side (Busstation West), including a tram stop. Bus services are operated by Qbuzz (Abellio) under the brand U-OV, Connexxion (urban and inter-urban services) and Arriva (Brabantliner to Breda and to Gorinchem area).

Busstation Centrumzijde

Bus station

Busstation West

Tram services

Bicycles

With a large university, Utrecht has a disproportionate number of cyclists, parking their bike virtually anywhere, especially around Utrecht Centraal. Thousands of bicycles clog the area, at almost any time. This not only creates an eyesore, but is also affecting pedestrian traffic. To address the problem, the City Council decided in 2014 to build the world's largest bicycle parking station, near the Central Railway Station. This 3-floor construction will cost an estimated 48 million Euros and will hold 12,500 bicycles. Completion is foreseen in 2018.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Utrecht". ProRail. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
  2. ↑ http://nos.nl/artikel/164052-treinverkeer-utrecht-uren-stil-door-storing.html
  3. ↑ http://www.treinreiziger.nl/actueel/utrecht_centraal_plat_door_winterweer-142101
  4. ↑ http://www.treinreiziger.nl/actueel/treinverkeer_randstad_ontregeld_door_storingen
  5. ↑ http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2010/11_november/19/binnenland/treinverkeer-rond-utrecht-valt-stil.xml
  6. ↑ "Reasons to build". CU2030. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Public transport terminal". CU2030. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
  8. ↑ "Bus and tram projects". CU2030. Retrieved 2014-11-24.
  9. ↑ "Feestelijke opening Utrecht Centraal in Madurodam" [Festive unveiling of Utrecht Centrall at Madurodam]. ProRail. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-02-29.
  10. ↑ See: Utrecht to build world's biggest bike park - for 12,500 bikes, DutchNews.nl, Sunday 27 April 2014. Accessed on 28 April 2014.

External links

Media related to Utrecht Central station at Wikimedia Commons