Erasmus Line

Erasmus Line

The Rotterdam 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 kilometers (3.7 mi).

In 1982 a second line was opened, the so-called 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 favor of a combination of letters and colors, to emphasize and clarify the difference between the several branches of especially the former East West line.

Read more about Erasmus Line:  Lines, Rolling Stock, Future Extensions, Traction Power, Further Reading

Famous quotes containing the words erasmus and/or line:

    It is wisdom in prosperity, when all is as thou wouldst have it, to fear and suspect the worst.
    —Desiderius Erasmus (c.1466–1536)

    I said: “A line will take us hours maybe;
    Yet if it does not seem a moment’s thought,
    Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.
    William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)