Need to break away and head to the beach after a busy day of work? Well, lucky Rotterdammers are now just one train ride away from feeling the sand between their toes. 🏖️
The Metro aan Zee is the train that will take you from the centre of Rotterdam to the new stop, Hoek van Holland Strand, in just 40 minutes. And the best part? It will bring you as close as 100 meters from the beach!
Before the new stop, the metro would only take you as far as the Hoek van Holland harbour, reports the NOS. From there, you would have to walk a few minutes and take a bus to the beach. Niet leuk!
How often does the metro to the Hoek van Holland beach run?
The metro runs three times per hour on weekdays and Saturday afternoons, but only every 30 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays.
Een mooie mijlpaal voor de @RETRotterdam , @Metropoolregio en @rotterdam.Onder grote belangstelling werd metrostation Hoek van Holland Strand geopend. Een metrostation direct aan het strand van Hoek van Holland.#retrotterdam #aardigonderweg pic.twitter.com/W5sDE8axAo— RET (@RETRotterdam) March 31, 2023
Translation: A nice milestone for the @RETRotterdam, @Metropoolregio and @rotterdam. Amid great interest, the Hoek van Holland Strand metro station was opened. A metro station right on the beach of Hoek van Holland.
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On Sundays from Ascension Day and during the summer holidays, the metro will run every 15 minutes. Hoera!
Why was the new metro stop delayed?
The Hoek van Holland Strand stop was supposed to be up and running years ago, but issues with permits, malfunctions, and security software problems caused delays.
Wat een luxe dat we eindelijk met de metro rechtstreeks naar het strand van Hoek van Holland kunnen. We hebben er lang op moeten wachten. @RETRotterdam pic.twitter.com/411xenyi5F— Olaf van der Hee ♻️ (@Acteermeneer) April 2, 2023
Translation: What a luxury that we can finally take the metro directly to the beach of Hoek van Holland. We had to wait a long time for it. @RETRotterdam
RET director, Maurice Unck, tells Rijnmond that the budget of €365 million also needed an extra €90 million due to unforeseen costs.
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The entire timetable of the metro was run without passengers as a test leading up to the opening of the new stop. With everything now running flawlessly, it will be smooth sailing for future beach visits.
Will you be taking the metro to the Hoek van Holland beach? Let us know in the comments!
Feature Image: Kees Torn/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-2.0