Main Train Station in Amsterdam

The Central Station is the largest railway station in Amsterdam and the main railway station of the Dutch Railways. It is one of the main railway hubs in the Netherlands, with around 250,000 passengers passing through daily. It is the second busiest railway station in the country and the most visited national cultural monument in the Netherlands. At the same time, it serves as the terminal station for the metro. The station can also be reached from the Czech Republic via the CityNightLine service, which includes Prague, Děčín, and Ústí nad Labem. The railway station was designed by architects Pierre Cuypers and A. van Gendt and was first put into operation in 1889.
It combines Gothic and Renaissance styles. The cast-iron structure of the roof of the hall spans approximately 45 meters. The structure was made by Andrew Handyside from England. The hall is made up of fifty truss arches designed by L.J. Eijmer, who was a civil engineer owning the railway company Staatsspoorwegen. Pierre Cuypers designed the main station building and also the decoration of the trusses and gables of the hall.
Construction began in 1882. The station is built on three artificially created islands made from sand taken from dunes near Velsen. The islands are known as "Station Island". Like many buildings in Amsterdam, the station is built on wooden piles. In this case, 8,687 piles were used.
Since 1997, the station building, the underground, the metro station, and the surrounding area have been undergoing reconstruction. The north-south metro line is also undergoing reconstruction and is expected to open in 2017.