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:
“You’ll see certain Pythagoreans whose belief in communism of property goes to such lengths that they pick up anything lying about unguarded, and make off with it without a qualm of conscience as if it had come to them by law.”
—Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536)
“We are apt to say that a foreign policy is successful only when the country, or at any rate the governing class, is united behind it. In reality, every line of policy is repudiated by a section, often by an influential section, of the country concerned. A foreign minister who waited until everyone agreed with him would have no foreign policy at all.”
—A.J.P. (Alan John Percivale)