Den Haag Centraal railway station

Den Haag Centraal (Dutch pronunciation: [dɛn ˌɦaːx sɛnˈtraːl]; English: "The Hague Central") is the largest railway station in the city of The Hague in South Holland, Netherlands, and with twelve tracks, the largest terminal station in the Netherlands.

The railway station opened in 1973, adjacent to its predecessor: Den Haag Staatsspoor, which was subsequently demolished.

van Erkel situated parallel to the railway, with the entrance facing sideways toward the city centre.

[3] In 1962, urban designer David Jokinen saw an opportunity to put an end to the situation with two main stations where Staatsspoor and Hollands Spoor each served only part of the rail traffic.

While it initially intended to rebuild Hollands Spoor into a central railway station, The municipality of The Hague resisted this plan because it preferred a location closer to the city centre so that government buildings would be more accessible.

At the time of the building's demolition, its royal waiting room was dismantled and stored; it was put on display in the Railway Museum (Netherlands) in Utrecht in the early 2000s.

This ensured that trains coming from north, east and south could all reach Den Haag Centraal.

The roof was replaced by one which is higher, and made of diamond-shaped glass plates placed in a framework of stainless steel.

The new main hall was opened by State Secretary Sharon Dijksma and mayor Jozias van Aartsen on 1 February 2016.

They connect directly to the city centre tunnel to the west and the elevated tracks to Ternoot and Beatrixkwartier to the east.

The Rotterdam-based RET operates RandstadRail line E, a high-capacity metro service via Leidschenveen and Pijnacker to Rotterdam Centraal station.

Staatsspoor in the early 20th century
Staatsspoor in 1972, with the new Centraal Station under construction in the background
Main hall of Den Haag Centraal in 2016
The elevated tram station above the mainline tracks
New metro station