Weesp–Leiden railway

The Weesp–Leiden railway (Dutch: Schiphollijn) is a railway line in the Netherlands which runs between the cities of Weesp and Leiden; the line also passes through and serves Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Schiphollijn
Overview
OwnerProRail
LocaleNetherlands
Termini
Stations9
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemNederlandse Spoorwegen
Operator(s)Nederlandse Spoorwegen
History
Opened1978
Technical
Track length30 kilometres (19 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)
Route map

km
Weesp–Lelystad railway
to Almere Centrum
Amsterdam–Zutphen railway
to Amersfoort
River Vecht
142.4
Weesp
Amsterdam–Zutphen railway
to Amsterdam Centraal
148.7
Diemen Zuid
Amsterdam–Arnhem railway
to Amsterdam Centraal
150.3
0.0
Duivendrecht
Utrechtboog flyover
Amsterdam–Arnhem railway
to Utrecht
River Amstel
4.1
Amsterdam RAI
5.5
Amsterdam Zuid
Amsterdam–Schiphol railway
to Amsterdam Centraal
14.3
Schiphol Airport enlarge… Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
19.9
Hoofddorp
HSL-Zuid
to Rotterdam
24.3
Nieuw Vennep
34.7
Sassenheim
Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam rly
to Haarlem
Leiden Centraal
Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam rly
to Den Haag

History

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Opening

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The first section of the Schiphollijn was opened on 20 December 1978 between Schiphol and Amsterdam Zuid. At the time, this section of railway was not connected to the rest of the Dutch railway network.[citation needed] This section of the Schiphollijn features a 6 kilometres (3.7 mi)-long tunnel, in which Schiphol railway station is located. When it was constructed, Schiphol was the only railway station in the Netherlands to be in-tunnel.[citation needed]

Extension

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The line was extended in both directions in 1981 to Amsterdam RAI and Leiden Centraal; new stations were opened at Hoofddorp and Nieuw-Vennep. In 1986, a connection to Amsterdam Centraal was completed: the Amsterdam–Schiphol railway. Stations were opened at Amsterdam Lelylaan, Amsterdam De Vlugtlaan and Amsterdam Sloterdijk.

Amsterdam De Vlugtlaan was closed in 2000, after the opening of the Hemboog: a chord at Amsterdam Sloterdijk which connects Schiphol Airport and the city of Zaandam. The line was completed in 1993 when the railway was extended to the town of Weesp. This enabled direct connections to Schiphol Airport from the eastern and northern provinces of the Netherlands to Schiphol. Duivendrecht station opened to provide a connection between the new line and the Amsterdam–Arnhem railway. The most important stations on the line currently are: Leiden Centraal, Hoofddorp, Schiphol airport, Amsterdam Zuid, Duivendrecht and Weesp.