Delft is the main

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

of the city of

Delft Delft () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam, to the southeast, ...

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It is located on the oldest railway line in the country, between the stations of

The Hague Central (; 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 ...

and Rotterdam Central. Along with a new 2.3 km rail tunnel under the city centre, the current station opened on 28 February 2015. The new building, which integrates the station hall with the city's municipal offices, was designed by

Mecanoo Mecanoo is an architecture firm based in Delft, Netherlands. Mecanoo was founded in 1984 by Francine Houben, Henk Döll, Roelf Steenhuis, Erick van Egeraat and Chris de Weijer. Foundation Houben, Döll and Steenhuis won a competition to de ...

, an international architecture firm that originated in Delft. The project also included a rebuilt bus station, tram stops and improved bicycle parking.

1885 building

StationsgebouwDelft 20230731 VoorzijdeVolleBreedte

The initial Delft railway station was located on the ''Houttuinen'', close to the current building. The first train passed through it on 31 May 1847, and three days later the station opened to the public. Because of increasing numbers of passengers and goods transported, a new, larger railway station opened in 1885, just to the south of the original station. Christiaan Posthumus Meyjes, Sr. designed the latter building. This building was used until 2015 when the current building opened. The old station building is historically significant, and since 2018 has been occupied by an Italian restaurant.

Railway zone project

From 1964, the railway through Delft ran on a double track viaduct, created to eliminate level crossings, intending to improve the safety and fluidity of traffic through the city. However, the rail viaduct became unpopular for being visually unattractive, and because the line through Delft is busy—with between 300 and 350 trains passing daily—causing major

noise pollution Noise pollution, or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise or sound with potential harmful effects on humans and animals. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is mainly caused by machines, transport and propagation systems.Senate Publi ...

. A large

urban design Urban design is an approach to the design of buildings and the spaces between them that focuses on specific design processes and outcomes based on geographical location. In addition to designing and shaping the physical features of towns, city, ...

project was formulated in 1999, designed by Spanish urban planner

Joan Busquets Joan Busquets i Grau (born 26 July 1946 in El Prat de Llobregat) is a Spanish architect, urban planner, and educator. Busquets is the Martin Bucksbaum Professor in Practice of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard University Graduate School of ...

, which saw the rail viaduct replaced by two tunnels. The first phase was completed in February 2015, and brought the first tunnel tube with two rail tracks in operation. In 2015 the decommissioned viaduct was torn down, and a second tunnel tube with two more rail tracks was constructed underneath the path it previously occupied. Currently the tube with the third and fourth tracks is complete and the above-ground railway lines have been altered to join the extra underground rails.

Gallery

Image:Station-Delft 9898.JPG, Old station's platforms File:20170720 Delft station 03.jpg, New station hall Delft train station interior.jpg, New building interior File:DelftSpoortunnel05.JPG, New platform File:Municipal Offices and Train Station, Delft 02.jpg, Delft station with map of Delft on the ceiling

References

External links

NS website

Dutch Public Transport journey planner
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delft Railway Station Railway stations in South Holland Railway stations on the Oude Lijn Railway stations located underground in the Netherlands Buildings and structures in Delft 1847 establishments in the Netherlands Railway stations in the Netherlands opened in 1847 Renaissance Revival architecture in the Netherlands