In the year 1850, a total of six trains arrived and departed from Utrecht every day. Fifty years later, the station already welcomed several hundred thousand passengers a year. By 2018, the number stood at close to two hundred thousand a day. The introduction of our current railway system proved to be a huge economic boost for the Netherlands in general and for Utrecht – the heart of the network – in particular. Over the years, Utrecht developed into the busiest railway city in the Netherlands, with railway company offices, workshops and even entire neighbourhoods for railway workers. Stations came and went over the years, including the much-loved building by architect Sybold van Ravesteyn. The Utrecht Archives is home to over one kilometre of railway archives, including materials from NS and its various predecessors. On display in the Utrecht Railway City exhibition are items from these archives as well as various items on loan to illustrate the rapid growth of our city and railways since 1843.

The exhibition is partly funded by the Municipality of Utrecht Initiative Fund.