Originally there were two lines, the Noord – Zuidlijn (north to south line) later renamed to Erasmus Line and Oost – Westlijn (east to west), also renamed to Caland line (Calandlijn in Dutch), both in honor of illustrious Dutch citizens.

After December 2009 the Calandlijn line branched into what is now known as the A, B and C lines. This line went underground and parallel to the Nieuwe Maas river to the city center until Beurs where you could transfer to line E.

The system is operated by RET (Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram) that also manages other transport systems in the south of the Randstad: trams, buses and the Fast Ferry. Altogether 600,000 people travel by this transport network, where nearly half do so on the subway.

*Tip! If you come to sightsee, below we tell you how to save up to 250 euros on your stay and nearly free travel by underground, bus and tram!

Rotterdam: lines and stations

Rotterdam metro has a total of 5 lines, designated by a letter and a color that really helps you navigate its network.
The A, B and C lines, old Calandlijn line, serve Rotterdam from east to west.

• Green Line or Line A. It circulate from Schiedam Centrum in the west to Binnenhof in the north, through Beurs. It has an extension of 17.2 kilometers and serves 20 stations.
• Yellow line or line B. Route Schiedam Centrum – Nesselande, from west to east through Beurs stopping at 23 stations. The length of this line is 20,1kms.
• Red line or C line. Links Southwest to east from the station De Terp to De Akkers, also through Beurs and stopping at 26 stations in its 30 kms of line.
• Light blue line or line D. It’s the former Erasmus Line . It ranges from De Akkers to Rotterdam Central Station through Beurs. It’s 21 km long and server 17 stations.
• Dark Blue line or line E. It runs from the station Central Railway in the Hague to Slinge in Rotterdam. It’s 27 kms long and serve 23 stations.
• E Line or Blue Line operates between Rotterdam Centraal and Den Haag Centraal. It is an intercity line.

These lines serve the tourist areas of the city, so for sightseeing in Rotterdam is very interesting to use the subway.

Hours and frequency of service

In general we can say that the Rotterdam Metro operates from 05.30 until midnight.

A, B, and C lines trains have a frequency of 10 minutes, so the common trunk section can have a frequency of 3-4 minutes. In line D there is a train every 5 minutes between Centraal Station and Slinge and every 10 minutes to De Akkers. At peak hours the frequency of service is a bit higher.

Fares and tickets

Rotterdam city is part of the all-Netherlands zone system. Typically, all transport can be used using the same card, the OV-Chipkaart.
In line E the old Strippenkaart can be used, but will soon be permanently replaced by the OV-Chipkaart.

Tickets

Tickets that can be bought on buses and trams, from the driver:

• RET 1 uur reizen – This ticket allows you to travel one hour by bus, tram and subway for 3 euros.

You can buy the following tickets at vending machines in metro stations and sales and information RET points:

• 1 Day travel card – for bus, tram and metro for € 7.50. Children (4-11 years) and over 65 pay half price.
• 2 Day travel card – for bus, tram and metro for € 12.50. Children (4-11 years) and over 65 pay half price.
• 3 Day travel card – for bus, tram and metro for € 16.50. Children (4-11 years) and over 65 pay half price.
• RET 2 uur reizen – for 2 hours unlimited travelling by bus, tram or metro
• RET 2x 1 uur reizen – is the same as buying two RET 1 in a single ticket. You do not save anything as the price is 6 euros.
• Anonymous e-purse OV-chipcard – You can travel by bus, tram and metro € 7.50 excluding credit e-purse

Ov-Chipkaart

There are several types of Ov-Chipkaart:

• Personalized OV-chipcard: It is basically a card with your name and photo. It is not transferable and with it you can get some benefits when refilling and paying (ie, discounts). You can also cancel the card and recover the credit in case of loss or theft. It costs 6.50 euros online and 7.50€ at a point of sale.
• Anonymous OV-chipcard: It’s not associated to any person so you can share with other passengers. It has none of the above benefits.
• Disposable OV-chipcard. More suitable for the tourist as passes and tickets RET can be loaded. It’s always more interesting to buy your Rotterdam Welcome Card.

Auto reload. If you live in the Netherlands and use public transportation several days a week you can buy your OV-chipcard with auto recharge.

Rotterdam Welcome Card

It’s the best option by far if you are sightseeing in Rotterdam. Virtually it has the same price than the transport pass you should buy, but with the Rotterdam Welcome Card you get a OV-chipkaart for unlimited travel in metro, trams and buses and besides you can also save up to 250 € when accessing attractions, museums, restaurants, theaters, clubs … and many other activities of interest for tourists. It’s sold online so you can save yourself having to decide on the fly in Rotterdam and can check in advance in its web all the benefits, discounts and all the places where it can be used. All the information here.

Another Rotterdam Metro Map

Accessibility

Rotterdam Metro trains are adapted for wheelchair users.

Links

Online trip planner http://www.ret.nl/en/travel-with-ret/travel-planner.html

L’article Rotterdam Metro est apparu en premier sur Transport Wiki.

GVB (Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf) is the public transport company of the city. Provides the service with buses, trams, subway and ferry boats if we move away from the center point of the city (Amsterdam North).The metro is mainly recommended to move to peripheral areas or quick access to the main terminal stations

Amsterdam Metro Lines

•  Line 50-Green, it is a circular line, which offers a quick connection between the South and West of the city without the need to pass through the center, a much larger journey. It is the most used subway line, and also the longest metro line in Amsterdam with 20.1 km of tracks and 20 stations. Runs from Isolatorweg to Gein with traffic of 100,000 passengers per day.
•  Line 51–Orange, it was opened in 1991 and connects downtown with the south Amstelveen. This line is a hybrid between subway and light rail and runs from Centraal Station to Westwijk station. It is the line that has the largest number of stations.
•  Linea 52-Blue, (under construction), in 2002 began the construction of this line that goes from north to south, but due to the difficulties that have arisen in construction, is not expected to be fully built until 2017. Now are the surface trams that are performing the route from Buikslotermeerplein to Zuid with only 8 stations
• Line 53-Red, in 1970 began construction of this line, which became operational in 1977, these were known as “the east lines”, line 53 and 54, and connect the city center with areas east and southeast of Amsterdam. Line 53 is the shortest metro line, with only 11.3 kms and 14 stations. Its route goes from Centraal Station to Gaasperplas.
• Line 54–Yellow, also opened in 1977 has a route from Centraal Station to Gein.

Major stations: Amsterdam Centraal is the central station of Amsterdam metro system. From here start the lines 51, 53 and 54.

Metro Opening Hours

Metros, trams and buses run from 06:00 a.m to 00:30 am. Night buses from 00:30 am until 07:00 am in the morning.

Frecuency Step

Every 10 minutes.

Fares and Tickets

Amsterdam’s metro was one of the first transportation systems in the Netherlands who admitted the contactless card OV-chipkaart as payment, since 2009, it is in fact almost the only method of payment. For those not going to make heavy use of public transport, the OV-chipkaart is the best option. This is a card with which you pay according to the distance traveled. For those that will make a great use of public transport is much more interesting one Pass, available for 1, to 7 days. And, if you are going to make use of public transportation and make other touristical tours, the I Amsterdam Card.

• Tickets valid for days – Day tickets, is most interesting for those who want to visit the capital of the Netherlands for a few days and move freely with the public transport in Amsterdam, because with them you can use all public transport in the city without having to pay any extra fee. Price goes from 7.50€ for 24 hours, 12€ for 48 hours to 31€ for 7 days.They can be purchased at vending stations and VVV offices. The one day can be purchased from the driver.
• GVB one-hour card is a single ticket for a journey on public transport within the next hour at the time of purchase and within the zone. Price is 2.70 €
• GVB one-hour card with a bicycle transportation 4.30€
•  The I amsterdam City Card is very helpful to visit the city. Allows unlimited use for 1 or 3 days in all of the GVB transport, trams, buses day and night, and metro (but not the EBS Arriva, or NS). They will also have free entry to 37 museums and a canal tour. In addition 25% discount on many attractions and restaurants. It costs € 40 for one day, € 50 for two days, and 60 € for three days. More info on the card:http://www.iamsterdam.com/

Children under age 4 are free. From 4 to 11 years and over 65 years have a discount, but to benefit from it is necessary to have an OV-chipkaart. More detailed info in: http://en.gvb.nl/reisinformatie/welke-kaart/Pages/default.aspx

Airport

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is about 20 minutes from downtown by train.

Train service and Netherlands Railways NS (Nederlandse Spoorwagen), provides an excellent connection therewith. Communication between the airport and the city (Centraal Station) by train is, without doubt, the most recommended because just outside the arrivals area to Amsterdam (terminals 1 and 2), you will find many electronic machines to buy ticket train to the center of the city. The departure times of trains (every fifteen minutes during the day and every hour after midnight) are quite extensive, the trip is cheap and takes less than 30 minutes.

Amsterdam Metro Map

L’article Amsterdam Metro est apparu en premier sur Transport Wiki.

Lines 3 and 4 of the tram network and the line E of the Rotterdam metro are part of the RandstadRail network. Lines 3 and 4 running from The Hague to Zoetermeer in an old railway line and E line to Rotterdam on the old Hofpleinlijn.

RandstadRail Erasmuslijn (Lijn E). Actual underground section.

The Erasmus Line, Erasmuslijn or line E: The old line NS Hofpleinlijn restructured to function as a metro in 2006. Its maximum speed is 100 km/h. It joins to the Rotterdam metro D line with an almost completely underground section.

The line E section which serves the Hague circulates elevated and/or ground level, using the old urban railroad Hofpleinlijn line, between The Hague Centraal station and Rotterdam Hofplein. It is managed since 2006 by the RET underground trains and since 2007 operates entirely as a subway line. Hofplein Rotterdam terminal was replaced in 2010 by a tunnel to the local underground network in Rotterdam Centraal railway station. In December 2011 this line was extended to the Slinge station, sharing this section with the metro Rotterdam D line, with its terminal in the city of Spijkenisse. This line runs every 10 minutes. Line E stations: Den Haag Centraal, Laan van NOI, Voorburg ‘t Loo, Leidschendam-Voorburg, Forepark, Leidschenveen, Nootdorp, Pijnacker Centrum, Pijnacker Zuid, Berkel Westpolder, Rodenrijs, Meijersplein, Melanchthonweg, Blijdorp, Rotterdam Centraal, Stadhuis, Beurs, Leuvehaven, Wilhelminaplein, Rijnhaven, Maashaven, Zuidplein, Slinge

RandstadRail lines 3 and 4: Tram-train lines

The RandstadRail also includes 4 tram lines. Line 2 from The Hague to Leidschendam, lines 3 and 4 from The Hague to Zoetermeer and line 19 from Leidschendam to Delft. These lines are managed by HTM. Lines 2 and 19 only support RandstadRail temporarily. Line 3 from Arnold Spoelplein to Central Station and line 4 between De Uithof and Central Station are regular tram lines. Lines 2, 3 and 4 have a frequency of 10 minutes during the day from Monday to Saturday. Sundays and evenings the rate drops to 15 minutes. Line 19 always has a frequency of 15 minutes.

Lines 3 and 4 are the old lines of the suburban train Zoetermeer Stadslijn, previously managed by NS (Dutch Railways). Later this lines went on to function as a conventional train to function as a light train system and joined the tram network.

Routes

• RR3: Loosduinen, Den Haag CS, Zoetermeer loop, Centrum West
• RR4: De Uithof, Den Haag CS, Zoetermeer Centrum West, Oosterheem

Media

L’article The Hague RandstadRail est apparu en premier sur Transport Wiki.