A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway trains and trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. Railway electrification has many advantages over other power systems for traction, but it requires significant capital expenditure for installation. In this article "system" refers to the technical configuration and details adopted; "network" refers to the geographical extent of a system actually installed at a location.
Amsterdam Centraal (code: Asd) is the central railway station of Amsterdam. It is also one of the main railway hubs of the Netherlands and is used by 250,000 passengers a day, excluding transferring passengers. It is the starting point of Amsterdam Metro lines 51, 53 and 54.
Amsterdam Centraal's building was designed by Pierre Cuypers and A. L. van Gendt. It first opened in 1889 and features a roof span of approximately 40 metres fabricated in cast iron by Andrew Handyside of Derby, England. The station is currently under reconstruction due to the construction of the North/South metro line (metro line 52).
Amsterdam Centraal is twinned with Liverpool Street station in London, in the United Kingdom, the other terminus of the Dutchflyer rail-ferry service.