Centraal station

Centraal Station: History, Architecture, and International Connectivity

Before World War II, Rotterdam had four train stations, but no central station. These stations were largely destroyed during the air raid of May 14, 1940.

After the war, a new station was built in 1957: Rotterdam Centraal Station, located just west of the former Delftse Poort station. This building became one of the most iconic symbols of Rotterdam’s post-war Reconstruction.

Centraal Station Rotterdam — Centraal Station

Centraal Station Architecture

The current station 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 original 1954 station designed by Sybold van Ravesteyn.

Despite being a modern construction, the new station preserves several elements from the previous building, such as two sculptures, the iconic station clock, and the original “Centraal Station” letters, all of which were integrated into the new facade.

A Monumental Project

Construction began in 2005 and lasted nine years, with a total cost exceeding €633 million.

During this time, the old station was almost entirely demolished, and several new facilities were built, including:

The train track canopy
The main hall
The Rotterdam Central metro station
An underground bicycle parking facility
The Kruisplein car park
The Weena tunnel
A complete redesign of the plaza in front of the station

The new station was officially inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander in the spring of 2014.

An International-Standard Station

Covering 47,000 m², the station currently welcomes more than 100,000 travelers daily, and this number is expected to rise to 323,000 by the year 2025, thanks to the expansion of HSL-Zuid and RandstadRail.

Rotterdam Centraal has 16 platforms and offers connections to numerous domestic and international destinations, including direct Thalys trains to Brussels, Lille, and Paris.

During Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven, this striking building was awarded Best Building of 2014 in the “Habitat” category.

Key Technical Figures

– 3,450 tons of steel used
– 1,200 m³ of concrete
– 14,350 m² of stainless steel roof covering
– 32,000 m² of fire-resistant cladding
– 2,650 m² of laminated and tempered glass

Discover other icons of Rotterdam’s architecture