Centraal station

Prior to World War II, Rotterdam had four train stations in the city center and its surroundings but lacked a central station. These stations were largely destroyed during the aerial bombing on May 14, 1940.

Following the war, a new station emerged in 1957: the Central Station, situated just west of the former Delftse Poort station. This building became a symbol of Rotterdam’s reconstruction.

The new station building was designed by Team CS, a collaboration between Benthem Crouwel Architekten, MVSA Meyer en Van Schooten Architecten, and West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture. It replaced the old Sybold van Ravesteyn station from 1954.

Some elements of the old structure still grace the new station: two sculptures, the station clock, and the lettering “Centraal Station” were incorporated into the new building’s façade.

The project commenced in 2005, following years of preparations. Construction of the new station spanned 9 years and carried a price tag of 633 million euros.

During this period, the majority of the old building was demolished while various parts of the new station were erected, including the platform roof, station hall, Rotterdam Central metro station, underground bicycle parking, Kruisplein parking, Weena tunnel, and the redesigned adjacent square. Rotterdam Central Station was ultimately inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander in the spring of 2014.

During the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, the eye-catching Rotterdam train station building was selected as the best structure of 2014 in the “Habitat” category.

The new station covers an area of 47,000 square meters, and more than 100,000 people pass through it every day. It is expected that the number of daily passengers will increase to 323,000 by 2025 due to the arrival of HSL-Zuid and RandstadRail. It has 16 platforms, and you can travel to various Dutch cities from there. The Thalys also offers direct trains to Brussels, Lille, and Paris.

Here are some numbers about the materials used:

3,450 tons of steel

1,200 cubic meters of concrete

14,350 square meters of stainless-steel roof with visible seams

32,000 square meters of fire-resistant covering

2,650 square meters of laminated and toughened glass.

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