Rotterdam Metro line B

The Rotterdam Metro Line B (Dutch: Metrolijn B) is a rapid transit line of the Rotterdam Metro. The line runs from Nesselande to Hoek van Holland Strand. Until each metro line received its own letter on 13 December 2009, it was part of the Caland Line. The line follows largely the same route as Line A; after Graskruid, the two lines split. The longer Line B connects the metro stations Nesselande and Hoek van Holland Strand, while the shorter Line A serves the busier central section of the route between Schiedam Centrum and Binnenhof.

Between De Tochten and Capelsebrug, and between Schiedam Nieuwland and Hoek van Holland Haven, the line is built as a light rail (sneltram) with overhead lines and level crossings. Line B is the longest metro line in the Benelux.

The metro trains on line B run all day between the Hoek van Holland Strand and Nesselande stations. The frequency of the line is as shown in the table below.

The line is operated from the 's-Gravenweg depot. Before the extension to Hoek van Holland, Line B services were linked to Line A from Monday to Saturday, and the metro trains originating in Nesselande returned to Binnenhof via Schiedam Centrum and vice versa.

The frequency between Steendijkpolder and Hoek van Holland Strand is halved, except on Sundays during the summer period.

On 24 April 1984, the East–West Line, which at the time ran from Binnenhof to Coolhaven (the current Line A), was expanded with a branch from Graskruid to De Tochten in the Zevenkamp district. On 25 April 1986, the line was extended westward to Marconiplein. Together with the line to Binnenhof, this formed the basis of the East–West Line for many years. In the early period, metro trains to Zevenkamp and Ommoord ran coupled together up to Rotterdam-Alexander, after which the train was split into one or two carriages toward Zevenkamp and one carriage toward Ommoord. On the return trip, the trains were coupled again. However, this caused several practical issues, so on 1 April 1985, the practice was abandoned, and separate trains operated from the city center to Ommoord and Zevenkamp.

After a second branch was opened in 1994 to Capelle aan den IJssel, a westward extension from Marconiplein followed on 4 November 2002, connecting via Schiedam and Pernis to the new Tussenwater station on Metro Line D toward De Akkers. Between 2002 and 2005, trains from De Tochten also ran at certain times over the new route to De Akkers. Since 29 August 2005, when the line was extended by one station from De Tochten to Nesselande, the trains no longer continued beyond Schiedam Centrum.

The line has been renamed several times over the years. Originally, together with the current Metro Line A, it formed the East–West Line. In 1994, when the branch to Capelle aan den IJssel entered service, the metro lines were assigned line colors, with the line to Zevenkamp designated in red. Until 2005, trains heading to De Tochten displayed the district name Zevenkamp as their final destination on the vehicle, instead of the terminus name De Tochten. In 1997, the name East–West Line was replaced by Caland Line, with red as the color for all three branches. From 13 December 2009, RET discontinued the name Caland Line; since then, the line has been known as Metro Line B, with yellow as its line color.

The former railway line Schiedam Centrum – Hoek van Holland Strand, known as the Hoekse Lijn, was closed to train traffic on 31 March 2017 and subsequently converted for metro service. When the Schiedam Centrum metro station was built in 2000, preparations had already been made for this extension, as a section of track was constructed directly west of the station pointing toward the Hoekse Lijn. Initially, the extension was scheduled to open in September 2017, but this deadline was not met, and the opening date was postponed five times. Construction costs also exceeded the budget by 90 million euros.

Since 30 September 2019, the line has been connected to the metro network at Schiedam Centrum, and Line B has since continued to Hoek van Holland Haven.

A notable feature of this metro line is that between Schiedam and Vlaardingen (the Vopak terminal in the Vulcaanhaven), the track can also be used by freight trains. Since these trains are wider than metro trains, interlaced tracks (strengelspoor) were installed so that freight trains do not hit the platform. The rest of the line up to Maassluis is prepared for the installation of freight tracks.

The stations along the line between Schiedam Nieuwland and Hoek van Holland Haven feature a sunset theme designed by architect Marc Verheijen, with stations closer to Rotterdam having a yellow theme, and gradually shifting toward deep sunset colors closer to the sea. A wave-pattern relief is also incorporated into the stations, referencing the sea.^[1][2]

Metro aan Zee is the name for the final part of the extension of Line B (including the new stations Hoek van Holland Haven and Hoek van Holland Strand).^[3] It was opened on 31 March 2023.^[4][5][6]

As part of the Integrale Visie Alexanderknoop project, Alexander station may be relocated.

Metro Line B uses train units from the 5600 and 5700 series. The line typically operates with two coupled carriages of these series. In the evenings, single carriages from the 5600 and 5700 series are used; trains are decoupled in the evenings at Nesselande station. On Fridays (late-night shopping evening), coupled carriages continue to operate in the evening.

• The presence of rail transport reaching nearly onto the beach is not new in the Netherlands. In the past, the RTM ran through Oostvoorne, then turned right to reach very close to the beach. In 1921, a storm caused the tracks to end up literally on the beach, though they had already become unusable by then. The line was later rerouted to turn left after Oostvoorne, ending directly on the beach. This line, originating from Spijkenisse, opened in 1906 and was closed in 1965.^[7]

• Timetable on RET website
• Information of Hoekse Line by RET
• Website about the Hoekse Line project