Metro Rotterdam
| Basic data | |
| Country | Netherlands |
|---|---|
| city | Rotterdam ; partly also in The Hague and neighboring communities |
| opening | February 9, 1968 |
| Lines | 5 |
| Route length | 101.1 km |
| Stations | 71 |
| use | |
| Shortest cycle | 5 minutes |
| Passengers | 300,000 per day (2017) |
| operator | RET |
| Gauge | 1435 mm |
| Power system | 750 V = |
The subway or Metro from Rotterdam is next to tram , buses and suburban rail carrier of public transport within the second largest Dutch city, and the oldest subway of the Benelux region. The first section opened in 1968.
The system consists of two trunk lines that intersect in the city center at the Beurs metro station . The east-west route runs in the narrower urban area on the right bank of the Nieuwe Maas , the north-south route mainly serves to connect the left bank with the city center on the opposite side. The metro runs mainly on the surface, either as an elevated train or on the ground.
The area of operation of the metro is the Rotterdam urban region , while the inner city area is mainly served by the Rotterdam tram . The metro therefore has a large average distance between stations and a high travel speed. In addition to the city of Rotterdam itself, there are stations in the municipalities of Schiedam , Spijkenisse , Albrandswaard , Capelle aan den IJssel , Vlaardingen and Maassluis .
Represent the Metro is the transport company Rotterdamse Electric Tram (RET), which also 9 tram lines and 28 urban bus operates.
General
The Rhine , which is not crossed by a single tunnel in any of the other countries through which it flows, is undercut three times by the Rotterdam Metro alone. Two tunnels run under the Nieuwe Maas estuary in the city center , one under the Oude Maas, which runs parallel to the south (which despite its name does not contain any Maas , but only Rhine water). There are also numerous road tunnels.
In contrast to the busbar metros in Munich , Nuremberg and Vienna , which were built around the same time , the Rotterdam metro, similar to the system in Amsterdam , only has short tunnels and runs mainly as an elevated train or along an embankment . There are two main reasons for this:
- The urban area south of the New Maas consists mainly of large housing estates from the 1960s and 1970s; There were no concerns about a threat to the already controversial cityscape, in addition, wide aisles were kept free for traffic routes in these districts that could be used for the elevated railway.
- The particular hydrological situation in the western Netherlands makes the construction and operation of tunnels particularly difficult; almost the entire urban area is lower than sea level (the river banks at sea level are thus the highest , instead of the lowest , as in other cities ). The potentially natural groundwater level is well above street level, flooding can only be prevented by continuous operation of numerous pumping stations.
The metro therefore only runs underground in the inner city area, all other stations are above ground.
Line network
The Rotterdam metro network has five lines, which are indicated by letters. In addition, each line has an identification color that is not used as a direct identification (e.g. blue line ).
| line | route | Tact | Number of stations | length | Municipalities visited |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. | (Vlaardingen West -) Schiedam Centrum - Beurs - Blaak - Kralingse Zoom - Alexander - Binnenhof (between Vlaardingen and Schiedam only Monday-Friday during rush hour) |
10 min | 24 | 23.5 km | Rotterdam , Schiedam , Vlaardingen |
| B. |
Hoek van Holland Haven - Maassluis Steendijkpolder - Vlaardingen - Schiedam Centrum - Beurs - Blaak - Kralingse Zoom - Alexander - Nesselande (only every second train continues from Maassluis Steendijkpolder to Hoek van Holland Haven) |
10 min | 31 | 43.3 km | Rotterdam , Schiedam , Vlaardingen , Maassluis |
| C. | De Akkers - Spijkenisse Centrum - Tussenwater - Schiedam Centrum - Beurs - Blaak - Kralingse Zoom - De Terp | 10 min | 26th | 30 km | Rotterdam , Schiedam , Capelle aan den IJssel , Nissewaard |
| D. | De Akkers - Spijkenisse Centrum - Tussenwater - Slinge - Zuidplein - Rotterdam Centraal (not all journeys continue from Slinge to De Akkers) |
5-10 min | 17th | 21 km | Rotterdam , Albrandswaard , Nissewaard |
| E. | Slinge - Zuidplein - Rotterdam Centraal - Berkel Westpolder - Pijnacker Centrum - Leidschenveen - Den Haag Centraal | 10 min | 23 | 27 km | Rotterdam , Lansingerland , Pijnacker-Nootdorp , Leidschendam-Voorburg , The Hague |
The lines used to have names rather than letters. While the trunk lines were initially only called north-south and east-west , they were given “real” names in the early 1990s: Erasmuslijn (today lines D and E) and Calandlijn (today lines A, B and C). As a visual indicator, the two routes were also assigned colors, namely blue (Erasmuslijn) and red (Calandlijn).
The routes between Tussenwater and De Akkers stations are served by lines from both “trunk lines” (lines C and D).
Lines A, B and C - the Calandlijn
On May 6, 1982, the first section of the new east-west line was opened, which was extended three times in quick succession and thus stretched from the northeast of the city to the west as early as 1986. The namesake of this line is Pieter Caland (1827–1902), the builder of the Nieuwe Waterweg , without whom Rotterdam's rise to the world's largest seaport would have been unthinkable.
Ommoord and Nesselande - Lines A / B
In the east, the Calandlijn has three ends, two of which can be reached via ground-level light rail lines . The power is supplied here via overhead lines , the rest of the line via power rails . The vehicles have pantographs for both types of supply. A similar solution is only available worldwide on the blue line of the Boston subway , line 3 of the Athens metro to the airport, the Oslo T-bane , the Hamburg S-Bahn and the Erasmuslijn's randstadrail Rotterdam-The Hague.
The branching of the lines happens in the station Capelsebrug . The aforementioned light rail section branches off to the north. Trains traveling out of town extend the pantograph and continue at ground level via overhead lines. The route runs sideways on the eastern side of Prinz-Alexander-Allee through the Prins Alexander district of the same name . At around six meters below the NAP, this is the lowest inhabited point in the Netherlands. The route along the Prins Alexanderlaan has five stations, one of which is at Rotterdam-Alexander station on the railway line to Gouda and Utrecht . Lines A and B separate behind the Graskruid stop . Line A turns left and ends in the Ommoord district at Binnenhof station , the end of the first section of the light rail line, which opened in 1983. Line B leaves Prinsenallee to the right and ends after 4 stops in De Tochen . In 2005 the line was extended by one stop. The trains retract their pantographs here and the train is again supplied by a power rail. The end of the line is Nesselande .
Capelle aan den IJssel - Line C
Line C leads from the Capelsebrug separation station further east to the neighboring municipality of Capelle aan den IJssel . This route is operated conventionally with a power rail, so that line C does not need any pantographs. The line runs as an elevated railway via Capelle Centrum to the terminus De Terp . The line, which opened in 1994, has three new stops.
Inner city - lines A / B / C
At the already mentioned Capelsebrug train station, the RET underground depot Gravenweg joins the city center . The Calandlijn inner city tunnel begins at the end of the platform at the next Kralingse Zoom station . The two following underground stations, Voorschoterlaan and Gerdesiaweg, are also located in the eastern inner city district of Kralingen ; the area of the old town, which was destroyed by a German air raid in 1940, begins at the next station, Oostplein .
The area, which is now modern, is driven through along the wide Blaak traffic lane . At the station of the same name, you can change to the underground, four-track station on the line to Dordrecht . The Randstad Holland agglomeration has no S-Bahn traffic, but local trains ( sprinters ) run very close together , which, as can be seen at this station, also open up the city centers. The railway tunnel runs in place of the Rotte that used to flow here , whose dike (at today's corner with Hoogstraat 200 m north) gave the city its name. Until 1993 this railway line ran above ground on the Luchtspoor , between 1993 and 1996 it was replaced by the tunnel.
Behind the three-track Blaak station there is a single-track connecting curve to the Erasmuslijn, more precisely to its Leuvehaven station . The next station is Beurs , the transfer station to Erasmuslijn . It is two streets south of the actual stock exchange building and therefore initially had its own name ( Churchillplein ), but was renamed in 2002. The Calandlijn station was laid out in 1967 as a preliminary work for the construction of the Erasmuslijn, but it did not open until 1982 with the opening of the Calandlijn.
The next station ( Eendrachtsplein ) is near the well-known Boijmans Van Beuningen museum , the next one ( Dijkzigt ) at the city's university hospital.
The following stations, Coolhaven and Delfshaven, are located in the multicultural western inner city district of Delfshaven , which not only has numerous Wilhelminian-style buildings, but even a medieval old town. It is the former outer harbor of the city of Delft , which did not want to leave overseas trade to the cities of Rotterdam and Schiedam on the New Meuse and diverted the Schie river, which previously flowed into Schiedam, to Delfshaven.
The following station, Marconiplein in the Spangen district, was the western terminus of the line from 1986 to 2002, it is located near the Sparta Rotterdam stadium and the administration of the Rotterdam port is located on its south side. Because the port is so large and important, the administration tower was not built as a twin , but even as a triple tower. The station has three tracks on a side platform and an island platform, although the side platform has only been used in special cases since the route was extended in 2002.
The extension of the Calandlijn through the neighboring town of Schiedam to the west to the south-western satellite settlement Hoogvliet was planned under the project name Beneluxlijn . The reason for the naming was the Benelux tunnel running under the New Maas , the fourth tube of which was used for the metro (the other three are part of the A 4 motorway ring).
About 500 meters beyond the Marconiplein station, the metro comes out of the tunnel to the surface, and after almost a kilometer it turns into the route of the railway line to The Hague . After a further kilometer, the metro arrives at Schiedam station. Here end the lines A and B, which Beneluxlijn called route continues to the station Tussenwater The Schiedam Station and the metro station are now called Schiedam Centrum , which is not quite true. The historic old town is around one kilometer southwest of the train station.
Hook of Holland - Lines A / B
In a similar way to the Hofpleinlijn , the line from Hoek van Holland , the so-called "Hoekse Lijn", was connected to the metro at the station Schiedam Centrum of the Calandlijn. The metro completely follows the former railway line, whose operation ended on March 31, 2017. The restart was originally planned for January 2018, but due to various problems with the conversion of the systems and the implementation of the train protection, it was delayed several times. On September 28, 2019, the line was finally reopened as part of metro lines A and B, with the exception of the last section, with a delay of 21 months.
A few hundred meters west of the Schiedam Centrum station, the metro joins the Hoekse Lijn via a newly constructed extension structure, which was constructed from the previous sweeping and parking facility . The Schiedam city area is left behind the Schiedam Nieuwland station . After crossing the A4 motorway, the route crosses the neighboring town of Vlaardingen , where stops are made at the train stations Vlaardingen Oost , Vlaardingen Centrum and Vlaardingen West . The latter is also the new terminus of Line A. Behind it, the route mainly leads through rural areas, after a few kilometers you reach the municipality of Maassluis with the Maassluis , Maassluis West and Steendijkpolder stops . About five kilometers behind Steendijkpolder , the metro passes the Maeslant barrage , where structural preparations have been made for a stop to be set up later. After another three kilometers, the new terminus, Hoek van Holland Haven , is reached without any further stops .
The last part of the Hoekse Lijn , which originally led one kilometer to the Hoek van Holland Strand station , will remain out of service until further notice. The reason for this is that said station is to be demolished in order to extend the route to the beach approx. 1 km away and to build a new terminus with the same name for the metro. However, this project will not be implemented before 2021.
It is worth mentioning that the route can still be used by railroad trains until Maassluis using diesel locomotives or other traction vehicles that do not rely on the overhead contact line (since their voltage has been switched from 1500 V to 750 V). This is necessary because freight traffic will continue to be operated up to that point. For this purpose, looping tracks were created in the area of the stops : Due to the smaller width of the metro vehicles compared to vehicles of the "large" train, the latter would collide with the new platform edges, which is prevented by driving on the track further to the left. Optionally, this infrastructure facility can later be extended to Hoek van Holland .
Hoogvliet - Line C
To the west of the train station, after crossing the Schie, another tunnel section begins with two underground stations, the first ( Parkweg ) being significantly closer to the center of Schiedam than Schiedam Centrum The Troelstralaan station was laid out as a special structural feature in the open cut right next to a park lake. The tunnel is followed by a short elevated railway section, the only station of which is Vijfsluizen in the port area of Schiedam, on the border with the neighboring city of Vlaardingen and directly on the motorway, which the metro now accompanies through the Benelux tunnel to the Beneluxplein motorway junction .
Pernis is just south of the Benelux tunnel . The district is completely isolated in the middle of the port area and is cut off from the outside world by the river, several port basins, the huge oil depot of the oil port, two motorways, an expressway, a motorway junction and the wide track field of the port railway. The metro station opened in 2002 can be seen as a real improvement.
As part of the construction work to connect the Hoekse Lijn to the metro network, line A, which previously ended in Schiedam Centrum , was extended to Pernis, where it turns over a track change behind the stop. The reason for this is on the one hand that, due to the construction work in Schiedam Centrum, there are only limited opportunities to sweep; on the other hand, some bus routes that are part of the rail replacement service only operate from the Vijfsluizen station . After the work has been completed, the line will be withdrawn from the Benelux countries .
After about three kilometers, the train reaches the satellite town of Hoogvliet and the Tussenwater station , where it meets the Erasmuslijn. The last five stations through Hoogvliet and Spijkenisse travel both lines together, see there.
Erasmuslijn
The blue north-south line went into operation first. The first metro line on (more precisely: under) Dutch soil was opened on February 9, 1968 by Crown Princess Beatrix and Prince Claus .
The line is 21.5 km long and has 17 stations, five of which are in the tunnel. It bears the name of the city's greatest son, Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469–1536), humanist and philosopher .
The Hague - Line E
Line E started operating between Nootdorp and Rotterdam Hofplein in 2006 . Since December 2011 the line has started in The Hague Central , the city's main train station. The line initially used two tracks in the main train station itself, but since 2016 it has had its own stop next to the main train station. It leads to Rotterdam via the Hofpleinlijn , a former railway line and now a light rail line. The route is also used by two tram lines in The Hague and is therefore operated with overhead lines, 750 V DC. Along the route the new stations were temporarily Berkel Westpolder, Meijerplein and Melanchthonweg opened, but the station was in 2010 Wilgenplas after 102 years closed.
Initially, the line ran on Hofpleinlijn until the Hofplein terminus , which opened in 1908 . In August 2010, the branch between Melanchthonweg and Bergweg went into operation to the newly built tunnel route via Blijdorp to Rotterdam Centraal ; at the same time, the last section of the former railway line via Bergweg to Hofplein was finally shut down and demolished.
To connect the line, the two-track metro station at Rotterdam Central Station, which opened in 1968, was demolished and rebuilt a little further north with three tracks.
Line E is part of the RandstadRail , an inter-city light rail network between The Hague, Rotterdam and Zoetermeer. Therefore, the first vehicles on the route were delivered in the blue and white color scheme of the RandstadRail.
Inner city - lines D / E
The central section of the Erasmuslijn, which is served by both lines, begins at the main train station on the north-western edge of the city. The following two train stations at the town hall and the stock exchange are located under the central boulevard Coolsingel in the center of the city. The Calandlijn crosses at the latter station , the access from the pedestrian streets Lijnbaan and Hoogstraat was elaborately designed in the mid-1990s, since then the Beurstraverse has crossed under the Coolsingel at this point. The Hoogstraat, as its name suggests, runs on the Krone des Zeedijk (sea dike), all buildings south of this dike line, including the Leuvehaven underground station, have to be protected independently from storm surges.
Leuvehaven station is located in the oldest port area in Rotterdam. To the south of it, the subway crosses under the Neue Maas, a few meters downstream is the Erasmus Bridge , opened in 1996 , the last Rhine bridge before it flows into the North Sea .
Immediately after reaching the left bank, the route increases again until, after around 500 meters from the tunnel, it passes over a ramp into an elevated railway viaduct. The Wilhelminaplein tunnel station, added later in 1997, is therefore on an incline. Such stations are very rare worldwide and in many countries, for safety reasons, cannot be approved at all; The fact that the otherwise less mountainous Rotterdam has such a station is a curiosity.
The next two elevated stations, Rijnhaven and Maashaven, are located on two basins of the seaport that were built around 1900. Between 1968 and 2008 there was a track connection to the Hilledijk depot, the first depot of the metro, which was demolished in 2011, directly behind the tunnel exit in front of the Rijnhaven station . The following station, Zuidplein (South Square), was the terminus of the section opened in 1968. It is located in the center of the southern district and includes a large shopping center , an indoor swimming pool , a district town hall, a theater and a bus station . The Südpark and the Ahoy event center are in the immediate vicinity .
After crossing the south park, the elevated railway reaches the large settlements Pendrecht on the right and Zuidwijk on the left, at the intersection with the main street Slinge, which runs through both quarters, there is an elevated station of the same name. This has three tracks and has been the end point of Line E from The Hague since 2011. The route towards Spijkenisse is only used by line D.
South Rotterdam and Spijkenisse - Line D
To the south of these quarters, the metro crosses the freight railway line leading into the seaport and bends in a wide arc in a westerly direction. After around two kilometers, located between a freight station and an industrial area, the Waalhaven depot of the metro follows, but the site is passed through without stopping. Only after three more kilometers does the next train station ( Rhoon ) follow . This and the following station Poortugaal are in the area of the southern suburb of Albrandswaard . Rhoon and Portugaal are old villages that have grown into large residential communities .
The large housing estate Hoogvliet , which in turn belongs to Rotterdam , is served by three elevated railway stations, none of which, however, is in the actual center of the area. In the first of these stations ( Tussenwater ), the Calandlijn , which is approaching from the north, joins the Erasmuslijn. The station has four tracks, was erected on stands in a watercourse and has spectacular access buildings designed by Maarten Struijs . The Tussenwater station was not built with the opening of the D line in 1974, but was only added in 2002 when the Calandlijn was integrated into the Spijkenisser line.
After the Oude Maas has again been crossed in the tunnel, three more elevated stations follow within the suburb of Spijkenisse before the end station De Akkers is reached. Beyond the station, there is a 700 meter long, four-track parking facility .
Expansion planning
A ready-to-use metro station is located under Rotterdam Lombardijen station. This was intended for a branch of the Erasmuslijn via IJsselmonde to Ridderkerk, which will most likely be implemented as a tram.
When the Hoekse Lijn was converted into a metro line, the structural requirements were created to later set up another stop at the Maeslant barrage .
In Ommoord, to the west of the Binnenhof terminus, space is being kept free for a double-track route so that line A can be extended to Hillegersberg and Terbregge . Up to the John Mottweg tracks were laid that could be used to park trains. In 2010 these tracks were removed as part of a redesign of the area, since then the tracks have ended at the end of the station's platform. An extension of the route is no longer planned in 2019.
The De Akkers station also has continued tracks behind the platform, which were built for a later extension to Hellevoetsluis and Brielle . When developing the areas, attention was paid to keeping the route clear. The implementation of these plans is now unlikely, but the sidings still exist.
Further measures to improve local public transport will primarily affect the trams. The TramPlus program combines acceleration measures with network expansion, especially on the left bank and in the suburb of Vlaardingen.
business
The metro starts operating at 5:30 in the morning and runs until shortly after midnight.
The Calandlijn with its three eastern endpoints is viewed in the timetable as three lines that operate as follows during the day:
- Ommoord (Binnenhof) ↔ Vlaardingen West ( Line A )
- Nesselande ↔ Hoek van Holland Haven ( Line B )
- Capelle a / d IJssel (De Terp) ↔ Spijkenisse Centrum ( Line C )
The two light rail lines through the Prins-Alexander-Polder only ran to the railway station in Schiedam until 2019, while the line from Capelle, which was developed as a metro throughout, also serves the subsequent section through the sparsely populated port area and meets the Erasmuslijn in the suburb of Hoogvliet. Since the incorporation of the Hoekse Lijn, no line ends in Schiedam.
Each of these three lines runs every 10 minutes during the day (6 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 7 am), and every 15 minutes on Sundays. Between Kralingse Zoom and Schiedam Centrum, i.e. in the inner-city section of the line, 18 trains per hour and direction run.
The following shortened routes apply in the evenings and on Sunday mornings:
- Binnenhof ↔ Kralingse Zoom
- Nesselande ↔ Hook of Holland Haven
- De Terp ↔ Spijkenisse Centrum
These are served every 15 minutes. The branch to Ommoord is served by shuttle service, at the Kralingse Zoom station you can change to the main line. In the inner city section, the trips from Nesselande and Capelle add up to 7/8 minute intervals.
The Erasmuslijn has no branches, but still has two different routes. Every train on line E ends at Slinge station. The reason is the same as for the Calandlijn: beyond this station, the metro leaves the closed urban area and travels through extensively used commercial and port areas:
- Rotterdam Centraal Station ↔ Spijkenisse ( Line D )
- Den Haag Centraal Station ↔ Slinge ( Line E )
Line E used to only run to Slinge on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (on Saturdays from 6 a.m.) every 10 minutes and on Sundays from 10:45 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. every 15 minutes to Slinge, these apply Clocks now all day. The entire route is served in rush hour (HVZ) every 5 minutes and during the rest of the day and on Sundays every 7½ minutes. Both routes add up to 18 trains per hour and direction during peak hours, and 12 during the day.
vehicles
The vehicles used on the two lines are not identical. Since some of the lines A and B (formerly Calandlijn ) are run in light rail operations, the trains must theoretically also meet the approval requirements for trams. In addition to the metro equipment, the vehicles on these lines have pantographs, rail brakes, brake sand, taillights with brake lights and indicators. As the only line on the east-west route, line C is excluded from this, as it only runs on sections of the route that have been developed according to subway criteria.
When the U-Bahn began operating in 1968, the RET had 27 trains of the original "MG2" model, of which a total of 71 twin railcars had been delivered by 1976.
Between 1980 and 1984, 71 "SG2" vehicles were added, which meet the light rail criteria for operation on the Calandlijn. They were mechanically and electrically fully coupled and usable with the MG2, which was also used on the Erasmuslijn and later the Calandlijn. All units were upgraded at the end of the 1990s.
In 1998 the original vehicles were replaced by the new "MG2 / 1" series, which had been delivered in 63 units by 2002. As a special feature, these vehicles only have a driver's cab at one end of the car and must therefore be used at least as a double traction in passenger operation. In 2002, an additional 18 modified railcars were produced, which can also be used as light rail vehicles and are therefore called "SG2 / 1". Both vehicle types replaced all MG2 railcars by 2003.
The Flexity Swift model was ordered from the manufacturer Bombardier as new trains for all lines ; the vehicles are built in Bruges in Flanders. In terms of car construction, the vehicles called "SG3" are based on the SG2 / 1, but they have a new front section, again two driver's cabs and three instead of two cars per unit. All vehicles can be operated with overhead lines and power rails. A total of three series were produced between 2008 and 2017, of which the first series has the white and blue paintwork of the RandstadRail and is therefore almost only used on line E.
The trains had a dark green paintwork until the end of the 1990s, which was replaced by a silver-gray one with the commissioning of the MG2 / 1 series. The SG2 were converted to this color scheme when they were upgraded, the MG2, which was retired a short time later, no longer. When the SG3 went into operation, this paintwork was revised, which in turn was no longer carried over to the SG2, but was applied to the MG2 / 1 and SG2 / 1 when they were upgraded in the mid-2010s. When RET joined the R-Net network, which actually stipulates its own paint scheme, the RET paint scheme was expanded as a compromise to include red (previously dark green) doors and the R-Net logo.
| Illustration | series | Number (still in use) |
Wagon numbers | delivery | Manufacturer | commitment | Lines | Vehicle length |
Power supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
MG2 (M) | 71 (0) | 5001-5027, 5051-5066, 5101-5126, 5151-5152 | 1966–1975 (4 deliveries) |
Werkspoor ; Düwag | 1966-2003 | Erasmuslijn, Calandlijn | 29 m | Busbar |
 |
SG2 (T) | 71 (0) | 5201-5271 | 1980-1984 | Düwag, Düsseldorf | 1980-2015 | A, B, C, D | 29.8 m | Contact rail overhead line |
 |
MG2 / 1 (B) | 63 (63) | 5301-5363 | 1998-2001 | Bombardier , Bruges | since 1998 | C, D | 30.5 m | Busbar |
 |
SG2 / 1 (S) | 18 (18) | 5401-5418 | 2002 | Bombardier, Bruges | since 2002 | A, B, C | 30.5 m | Contact rail overhead line |
 |
RSG2 | 11 (0) | 5200 series | 2006 (converted SG2 vehicles built in 1984) | Düwag,
(Modification by the RET) |
2006-2009 | E. | 29.8 m | Overhead line |
 |
RSG3 (R) | 22 (22) | 5501-5522 | 2008/2009 | Bombardier, Bautzen | since 2008 | E. | 42 m | Contact rail overhead line |
 |
SG3 (R) | 42 (42) | 5601-5642 | 2009–2012 | Bombardier, Bautzen | since 2009 | A, B, C, D, E | 42 m | Contact rail overhead line |
 |
HSG3 (R) | 22 (22) | 5701-5722 | 2015-2017 | Bombardier, Bautzen | since 2015 | A, B, C, D, E | 42 m | Contact rail overhead line |
history
prehistory
As early as 1920, Rotterdam was the center of radically modern urban development in the Netherlands, and the local architect group De Opbouw around Oud and van Eesteren propagated functional rationalism instead of clinging to architectural traditions, as the Amsterdam School , which was based on German Expressionism , up to in their city was able to prevail in the 1930s.
The destruction of the entire city center by the German air raid on May 14, 1940 provided the opportunity after the war to turn the ideas of Opbouw and the international group CIAM into reality. A large-scale, modern development with wide streets and extensive separation of urban functions was the basis of the newly emerging Rotterdam. The Lijnbaan shopping street, opened in 1953, was the first pedestrian zone in Europe; outside of this, traffic planning was based entirely on the automobile . The tram should also no longer hinder vehicle traffic if possible.
In order to be able to take public traffic out of the streets, after extensive negotiations, a decision was made at the end of the 1950s to build an underground railway from the new main train station (opened in 1954) to the center of the rapidly growing southern district. On January 19, 1959, representatives of the city building authorities presented the plans to the city parliament. The official resolution of the city parliament took place on May 14, 1959.
Underground construction in the water
The first construction phase was technically the most difficult. It comprised the entire subterranean part of the later Erasmuslijn including the underpass of the 600 meter wide New Meuse . The 1040 meter long construction section under the river with descents and ascents consists of twelve tunnel elements. These were produced in dry dock on the van Brienenoord Island (near the Kuip , the stadium of Feyenoord ) , brought downriver to the place of use and floated into a prepared trench in the river bed. The tunnel ceiling in the middle of the river is about 12.5 meters below sea level.
The tunnels on the right bank had to be built in a similar way due to the special situation described in the western Netherlands. The cut-and-cover method (open construction) that is common elsewhere , in which a trench is dug, the driveway, side walls and tracks are built and finally the “cover” is put on and the torn-open road is restored, is not possible in Rotterdam: every excavated pit runs full of water within hours.
For this reason, small dry docks were also built in the broad streets of Blaak and Weena , in which the tunnel elements were pre-produced. The Coolsingel , in the middle of which the water-filled construction pit ran for several years, experienced an interesting recourse to its own history: it used to be the ditch in front of the western city wall of Rotterdam (a singel is a moat ). Despite the construction under water, this section was easier to build than the river crossing, as neither the current nor the tidal range made the work difficult and the construction cranes could be placed directly next to the excavation pit.
The two flood gates of the Leuvehaven train station are important for the safety of the entire city , as mentioned above, it is located under the main dike line on the right bank ( Westzeedijk ). In order to prevent the entire northern half of the city from overflowing in the event of a water ingress in the area under the river, steel gates were installed at both ends of the station, which close automatically in the event of an accident.
The concrete viaduct of the elevated railway on the left bank was relatively easy to build. The first section of the metro was opened on February 9, 1968, over two years before construction of the metro there even began in unloved Amsterdam . Critics in Amsterdam and elsewhere, however, did not fail to mention that the Rotterdam subway with around five kilometers in length and seven stations is supposedly the shortest in the world (which was only partly true).
The construction of the east-west line
The construction of today's Calandlijn began in 1971 with the usual preparatory work in subway construction, such as the relocation of road traffic and numerous underground supply lines that are "in the way" of the future tunnel. In contrast to the first line, this line comprised a long tunnel section, and with the Coolhaven harbor basin , a waterway had to be driven under again, using the methods described above .
In the city center, the Calandlijn runs under wide traffic axes, which simplified the construction process. The Beurs station (then Churchillplein ) had already been built as a preliminary work in the shell construction during the construction of the first line , conversely, the Blaak station was already prepared as a transfer station for the underground state railway line that was still to be built: the metro line was here as a bridge with a span of 52 meters executed. The railway tunnel was built in the years 1987–93 and replaced the former viaduct route.
In the Kralingen district, the subway runs through narrow streets and even under blocks of houses, the buildings were intercepted with bold constructions so that the residents could stay in their apartments during construction. In the area between Eendrachtsplein and Coolhaven, densely built-up districts were also crossed. The main part of the new line was opened in 1982, the two western stations to Marconiplein followed in 1986.
Elevated rail lines to the suburbs
The first expansion of the Rotterdam Metro took place at the southern end of the original route. The elevated railway on the left bank of the Meuse was extended by 1.6 km to the satellite settlement Pendrecht / Zuidwijk . These residential areas were created around 1960 based on a design by the architect Lotte Stam-Beese, who came from the group de Opbouw and are today considered one of the many Rotterdam examples of the inhumane urban planning of the post-war decades. The underground connection ( Slinge station ) gave residents a quick connection to the city center in 1970.
The second extension (1974) beyond Pendrecht ran for many kilometers through the south of the urban area, which is characterized by highways, allotments, sports facilities, commercial and port areas. The metro's character as a real rapid transit system was evident here, with several kilometers between the stations. The residential suburbs Rhoon and Portugaal are outside the city limits and were not the reason (but beneficiaries) of the metro extension. Rather, the reason was the connection to Rotterdam's largest satellite settlement, the Hoogvliet in the south-west of the city .
The light rail routes through the northeastern satellite settlements of Prins Alexander , Ommoord and Zevenkamp were built in the first half of the 1980s. They branched off at the Capelsebrug station and continue as a ground-level express tram ( Sneltram ).
At the same time, at the other end of town, the extension from Hoogvliet to the town of Spijkenisse , located on the other side of the Old Meuse, was under construction. An elevated railway line with three stations was built within its urban area, and the crossing of the Old Meuse took place in another underwater tunnel. The dry dock on the van Brienenoordinsel was again used to prefabricate the tunnel segments. The tracks of the finished route are 23 meters below sea level at their deepest point. In 1985 the extension was put into operation.
The eastern end of the Calandlijn was extended into the surrounding community of Capelle in 1994, this time not as a sneltram , but as an elevated metro line.
Kop van Zuid
In the mid-1990s, construction work began to convert the fallow port area on the left bank of the river. The port basins built around 1900 had become too small for modern seagoing ships, and port operations were shifting further and further west out of the city. It was decided to use the northern tip ( head ) of the southern district (therefore: Kop van Zuid ) for an expansion of the business city. Office skyscrapers were to be built on the Wilhelminapier between the river and Rijnhaven, with a dense residential area and a city park in the second row. The most visible sign of the “leap” over the river was the Erasmus Bridge , also known as the swan because of its idiosyncratic shape . For the first time in over 20 years, the tram was able to cross the river via this bridge, until then line 2 on the left bank had lived a lonely island existence without any connection to the rest of the network.
In addition to the new tram line 20, the metro should also open up the quarter. The Rijnhaven station is located on its southern edge and is relevant for some of the new residents, but the center of Kop van Zuid is Wilhelminaplein, the southern bridgehead of the Erasmus Bridge and the beginning of the Wilhelminapier. The subway has so far passed under the square without stopping because it has to overcome the difference in height between the river crossing and the ramp further south. Due to the great importance of the project, it was finally decided to add an additional station under the square while the metro continued to run. The station was opened in 1997, it is 17 meters below sea level, making it one of the deepest stations in the world.
Chronicle of the track openings
| date | line | section | + Bhf.e | = Bhf.e |
| February 9, 1968 | Erasmuslijn | Centraal Station ↔ Zuidplein | 7th | 7th |
| November 25, 1970 | Erasmuslijn | Zuidplein ↔ Slinge | 1 | 8th |
| October 25, 1974 | Erasmuslijn | Sling ↔ Zalmplaat | 4th | 12 |
| May 6, 1982 | Calandlijn | Coolhaven ↔ Capelsebrug | 10 | 22nd |
| May 27, 1983 | Calandlijn | Capelsebrug ↔ Graskruid ↔ Binnenhof (light rail) | 7th | 29 |
| April 24, 1984 | Calandlijn | Graskruid ↔ De Tochen (light rail) | 4th | 33 |
| April 25, 1985 | Erasmuslijn | Zalmplaat ↔ De Akkers | 3 | 36 |
| April 25, 1986 | Calandlijn | Coolhaven ↔ Marconiplein | 2 | 38 |
| May 29, 1994 | Calandlijn | Capelsebrug ↔ De Terp | 3 | 41 |
| June 4th 1997 | Erasmuslijn | Wilhelminaplein | 1 | 42 |
| November 4, 2002 | Erasmuslijn | Tussenwater | 1 | 43 |
| November 4, 2002 | Calandlijn | Marconiplein ↔ Tussenwater | 5 | 48 |
| August 29, 2005 | Calandlijn | De Tochen ↔ Nesselande | 1 | 49 |
| August 16, 2010 | Erasmuslijn (Randstadrail) | The Hague Centraal Station ↔ Rotterdam Centraal Station | 14th | 63 |
| September 28, 2019 | Calandlijn (Hoekse Lijn) | Hook of Holland Haven ↔ Schiedam Centrum | 8th | 71 |
literature
- Henk van Bruggen: Rotterdam, Rijnmond, Dordrecht . ANWB, The Hague 1994, ISBN 90-18-00406-5 .
- Kees Stiksma: Tunnels in the Netherlands. Underground transport connections . 2nd edition Illustra, Rotterdam 1993, ISBN 90-6618-591-0 .
- Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani: Hatje Lexicon of 20th Century Architecture . Hatje, Stuttgart 1983, ISBN 3-7757-0174-5 .
Web links
- Official operator website (Dutch)
- Rotterdam Metro In: urbanrail.net (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ombouw tot metrolijn met 5 maanden vertraagd tot februari 2018. July 5, 2017, accessed on September 29, 2019 (Dutch).
- ↑ Zaterdag 28 September: free open day Hoekse Lijn - RET. Retrieved September 29, 2019 .
- ↑ treinreiziger.nl: Metro pas in 2021 door naar Hoek van Holland Strand. May 24, 2018, accessed September 29, 2019 (Dutch).
- ↑ Loops goederenvervoer over de gehele lijn? | HoekseLijn. Retrieved September 29, 2019 .
- ^ Wessel: Provincie houdt vast aan het tracé voor de Ridderkerklijn. In: RTV-Ridderkerk. May 25, 2018, accessed March 16, 2019 (Dutch).
