Rotterdam
HISTORY OF THE ROTTERDAM METRO
Mister M presents
Metro Rotterdam
Rotterdam Metro Museum
The Rotterdam Metro (Dutch: Rotterdamse metro) is a rapid transit system operated in Rotterdam, Netherlands and surrounding municipalities by RET. The first line, called Noord – Zuidlijn (North – South line) opened in 1968 and ran from Centraal Station to Zuidplein, crossing the river Nieuwe Maas in a tunnel. It was the first metro system to open in the Netherlands. At the time it was also one of the shortest metro lines in the world with a length of only 5.9 km (3.7 mi).
In 1982 a second line was opened, the Oost – Westlijn (East – West line), running between Capelsebrug and Coolhaven stations. In the late 1990s, the lines were named after two historic Rotterdam citizens, the Erasmus Line (North – South) after Desiderius Erasmus and the Caland Line (East – West) after Pieter Caland. As of December 2009, these names were dropped again in favour of a combination of letters and colours, to emphasise and clarify the difference between the separate branches, especially of the former East – West line.
In the northeast of Rotterdam, Lines A and B branch to Binnenhof (Line A) and to Nesselande (Line B). The latter has been extended since September 2005; before that date, this line terminated at De Tochten.
North of Capelsebrug station and east of Schiedam Centrum station, with the exception of the De Tochten-Nesselande section, Lines A and B have some level crossings (with priority), and could therefore be called light rail instead of metro. These sections also have overhead wires, while most of the system has a third rail (the other exception is Line E (RandstadRail) to The Hague). However, the term light rail is not used in Rotterdam; most people just call these branches metro.
As of 30 September 2019 Line B is connected to the Schiedam–Hoek van Holland railway line, extending the metro network to Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland), while line A will operate on this line as far as Vlaardingen West, starting 1 November 2019.
TIMELINE STORIES
MAPLINE routes
RET N.V. is a dynamic public transport company in the urban region of Rotterdam. We like to roll up our sleeves and focus on the future.
RET provides worry-free public transportation by bus, tram, metro and boat. As an integrated public transport company, we are also responsible for the management and maintenance of vehicles and infrastructure. Thus, we manage the entire transportation process, and you are safe and reliable on the road.
The Rotterdam Metro connects the city center and surrounding municipalities. This is the main function of the metro, since the central part of the city is successfully served by the upper public transport. Due to the fact that the distances between stations are relatively long, the average speed of metro trains is quite high.
The first North-South line was opened in 1968, it ran under the Nieuwe-Meuse river and connected the Centraal and Zuidplein stations. It was the first metro in the Netherlands. At the same time, it was one of the smallest subways in the world - the length of the line was only 5.9 km.
Rotterdam is the 2nd largest city in Netherlands by population at just over 600,000 people. The Rotterdam Metro (Dutch: Rotterdamse metro) is a rapid transit system operated in Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities by RET. The first line, called Noord - Zuidlijn (North - South line) opened in 1968 and ran from Centraal Station to Zuidplein, crossing the river Nieuwe Maas in a tunnel. It was the first metro system to open in the Netherlands. At the time it was also one of the shortest metro lines in the world with a length of only 5.9 km (3.7 mi).