Leiden Centraal railway station 4.3

Leiden Centraal is the main railway station in Leiden, a city in the Netherlands.HistoryLeiden Centraal station opened on 17 August 1842 as the southern terminal of the first expansion of the Old Line (Dutch: Oude Lijn) from Haarlem. The original building was replaced by a new one, designed by D.A.N. Margadant, in 1879. This station was later razed and replaced by a third station designed by HGJ Schelling. Due to its post-war design, which was also implemented at other Dutch railway stations, Leiden Centraal became synonymous with the word "ugly." Increasing numbers of passengers also caused the building to become overcrowded. Eventually, it was demolished.The fourth, and current, station was designed by Harry Reijnders and completed in 1996. Consisting of a white lattice structure, a curved, shell-like entrance leads into a ticketing hall lined with shops and restaurants. When first built, the floor had a bright blue and white finish. Problems with passengers slipping required that the floor be replaced with standard tiling.Smart card eraIn 2007, Leiden Centraal was renovated in accordance with the introduction of the OV-chipkaart, which created a nationwide smart card fare system. To implement the OV-chipkaart, ticket barriers were installed, separating the station into a paid and unpaid area. The platforms, waiting area, and several shops comprise the paid area, while the rest of the station (including ticket machines and other shops) is classified as unpaid. As of 2017 the barriers are no longer open, as the new ticket system is now mandatory