Den Haag HS (English: The Hague HS), an abbreviation of the original name Den Haag Hollands Spoor (The Hague Holland Rail), is the oldest train station in The Hague, South Holland, Netherlands, located on the Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway. It is the second main station in The Hague and, unlike The Hague Central Station, it is not a terminus station. The name of the station is derived from the former Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HIJSM) which was the first Dutch railway company.
History
Hollands Spoor opened on 6 December 1843, after the Amsterdam–Haarlem railway, the oldest railway in the country, had been extended to The Hague. This line was further extended to Rotterdam in 1847. At the time, the area was a grassland and belonged to the municipality of Rijswijk. Lacking the people to manage law enforcement around the station, Rijswijk ceded the land to the municipality of The Hague. The railway station was named Holland Spoor, after the company which operated it, the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij. The original building, which was designed by Frederik Willem Conrad, was demolished in 1891 to make way for a Neo-Renaissance building designed by Dirk Margadant. The current station building is one of three in the Netherlands with an active royal waiting room reserved for the Dutch monarchy.
In 1870, the rival company Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij opened a second main railway station in The Hague, Den Haag Rhijnspoor, on the newly constructed Gouda–Den Haag railway. A railway connection between the two stations was constructed a year later. In 1962, David Jokinen saw an opportunity to put an end to the situation between the two. The plan was not implemented. Despite the plan not being implemented, Staatsspoor station was demolished in 1973, to make way for the Den Haag Centraal railway station. As a result, The Hague has two main railway stations: Centraal Station and Hollands Spoor. Trains from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and beyond (Brussels) tend to stop at The Hague HS, whereas trains from Utrecht and Eastern and North-Eastern directions (also by Leiden/Amsterdam Airport Schiphol/Amsterdam) usually stop at Centraal Station. Several trains in southern direction serve both stations.
Train services
The station is served by the following services: 4x per day International services (Intercity) The Hague - Rotterdam - Breda - Antwerp - Mechelen - Brussels 1x per hour night train (nachtnet) services Rotterdam - The Hague - Amsterdam - Utrecht 2x per hour Intercity services Amsterdam - Haarlem - Leiden - The Hague - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Vlissingen 2x per hour Intercity services Lelystad - Almere - Amsterdam - Schiphol - The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht 2x per hour Intercity services The Hague - Rotterdam - Breda - Eindhoven 4x per hour Local services (Sprinter) The Hague - Rotterdam - Dordrecht
Tram services
The Hague's public transit company, HTM Personenvervoer, operates a public transportation hub in front of the railway station's front entrance. Tram lines 1, 9, 11, 12, 16 and 17 stop here.
Platform Line Destination Via A 1 Delft Tanthof Laakkwartier, Rijswijk, Hoornbrug, Broekpolder, Spoorzone Delft, Delft Station, De Hoven Passage 11 Scheveningen Haven Schilderswijk, Haagse Markt, Transvaalkwartier, Regentessekwartier, Statenkwartier 12 Den Haag Duindorp Schilderswijk, Haagse Markt, Transvaalkwartier, Valkenboskwartier, Bomenbuurt, Segbroek, Vogelwijk B 9 Vrederust Zuiderpark, Moerwijk, Winkelcentrum Leyweg, Morgenstond 16 Wateringen Laakkwartier, Spoorwijk, Station Moerwijk, Moerwijk, Winkelcentrum Leyweg, Morgenstond, Hoge Veld, Wateringse Veld 17 Wateringen Laakkwartier, Spoorwijk, Plaspoelpolder, Rijswijk Station, In de Bogaard, Eikelenburg, Wateringse Veld C 1 Scheveningen Noord Bierkade, Stadhuis, Kneuterdijk, Plein 1813, Javastraat, Vredespaleis, Kurhaus 11 Rijswijkseplein 12 Rijswijkseplein D 9 Scheveningen Noord Bierkade, Kalvermarkt-Stadhuis, Centraal Station, Malieveld, Koninginnegracht, Madurodam, Westbroekpark, Circustheater, Kurhaus 16 Den Haag Statenkwartier Bierkade, Kalvermarkt-Stadhuis, Centraal Station, Korte Voorhout, Buitenhof, Zeeheldenkwartier, Gemeentemuseum/Museon 17 Den Haag Centraal Rijswijkseplein International services: LineRoutefrequencyOperatorBrussels – Rotterdam – Den Haag HS – Amsterdam – Amersfoort – Bad Bentheim – Berlin – Dresden – Bad Schandau – Praguethree trains pairs per weekEuropean Sleeper
Bus services
Den Haag Hollands Spoor also includes a bus station. Several HTM bus lines stop here.
Platform Line Destination Via F 18 Clingendael Stationsbuurt, Centraal Station, Malieveld, Benoordenhout G 18 Rijswijk De Schilp Laak, Rijswijk Station, In de Bogaard, SteenvoordeH 26 Voorburg Station Binckhorst N5 Rijswijk/Ypenburg/Leidschenveen Jonckbloetplein, Nootdorp, Station Ypenburg, Rotonde Houtkade, Centraal Station I 26 Kijkduin Megastores, Laakkwartier, Station Moerwijk, Zuiderpark, Leyenburg, Loosduinen, Ockenburg N1 Centrum (Buitenhof) N4 Centrum (Buitenhof)
References
External links
Hollands Spoor on the NS website Live departures and cancellations in English Dutch Public Transport journey planner 360/360 Panorama picture of the square in front of the railway station