Amsterdam Zuid station

Amsterdam Zuid
Zuidplein entrance (April 2012).
Location	Netherlands
Coordinates	52°20′20″N 4°52′23″E / 52.33889°N 4.87306°E / 52.33889; 4.87306Coordinates: 52°20′20″N 4°52′23″E / 52.33889°N 4.87306°E / 52.33889; 4.87306
Operated by	Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Line(s)	Weesp–Leiden railway
Other information
Station code	Asdz
History
Opened	1978
Services Preceding station   Nederlandse Spoorwegen   Following station Schiphol Airport toward Den Haag Centraal NS Intercity 700 Almere Centrum toward Groningen Schiphol Airport Terminus NS Intercity 1600 Duivendrecht toward Enschede Schiphol Airport toward Den Haag Centraal NS Intercity 1800 Almere Centrum toward Leeuwarden Schiphol Airport toward Dordrecht NS Intercity 2400 Duivendrecht toward Lelystad Centrum Schiphol Airport Terminus NS Intercity 3100 Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA toward Nijmegen NS Intercity 3500 Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA toward Venlo NS Intercity 11600 Duivendrecht toward Amersfoort Schothorst Schiphol Airport toward Hoofddorp NS Sprinter 4300 Amsterdam RAI toward Almere Oostvaarders NS Sprinter 5700 Amsterdam RAI toward Utrecht Centraal Amsterdam Metro Amstelveenseweg toward Isolatorweg Line 50 Station RAI toward Gein Station RAI toward Centraal Station Line 51 De Boelelaan/VU toward Westwijk Europaplein toward Noord Line 52 Terminus
Location
Amsterdam Zuid Location within Northern Randstad Show map of Northern Randstad Amsterdam Zuid Amsterdam Zuid (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands

Amsterdam Zuid is a railway station situated in the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid in Amsterdam, Netherlands. For a number of years, it was named Amsterdam Zuid WTC, in reference to the neighbouring World Trade Center Amsterdam. During 2006, in conjunction with the rapid development of the area surrounding the station, the station was enlarged and the reference to the WTC was formally dropped from the name.

During 1978, Amsterdam Zuid station opened on a strategic rail route commonly known as the Zuidtak and formed the heart of the modern Zuidas business district, which houses several large banks, accounting and legal firms, as well as being the main public transport gateway for the VU University campus located just south of the station. Over time, the station has played an increasingly important role in Amsterdam's transport strategy and passenger numbers have grown extensively since its opening. To cope with its high patronage, Amsterdam Zuid has been extended and additional services put on; it has effectively replaced the older Amsterdam Centraal station as the capital's main station for direct trains.

During the 2010s, as a means of allowing for further development at the station, a large expansion plan was proposed for Amsterdam Zuid. During December 2014, an agreement for this expansion plan, which has been referred to as the Zuidasdok project, was signed by various public bodies, authorising it to proceed. The publicly-funded project has an estimated cost of approximately €1.9 billion; this price tag means it shall be one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever performed in the Netherlands to date.^[1] Having received political backing, construction to scheduled to commence during 2019 and is scheduled for completion around 2028.

History

Amsterdam Zuid station is located in the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid in the city Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies on the strategic rail route known as the Zuidtak ("south branch"), which was completed in 1993, and connects Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the west to Weesp, in the east via Duivendrecht. During 1978, the station was opened; over the following decades, Amsterdam Zuid was determined to be the fastest growing station in the Netherlands. As a result, the station was extended during 2006, and has gradually played an increasingly important role in the city's transport strategy. It has replaced the older Amsterdam Centraal station as the capital's main station for direct trains to various destinations located to the north and east of the country.

The station is also on HSL-Zuid, a dedicated high-speed line designed for long distance and international traffic, which was built between 2000 and 2007.^[2] In the long-term, it has been anticipated that at some point in the future Amsterdam Zuid will be served by long-distance trains traversing HSL-Zuid.^[1]

Since 2006, Utrecht and other cities south of Amsterdam have also been served via Amsterdam Zuid. In that year, the Utrechtboog flyover was completed; as a result of this additional infrastructure, changes at Duivendrecht are no longer necessary for passengers from Schiphol to Utrecht and beyond. These routes from Schiphol therefore bypass the congested lines serving Central Amsterdam, allowing faster connections between Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and cities in the north and east of the country (Leeuwarden and Enschede, among others).

Amsterdam Zuid is currently served by two lines of the Amsterdam Metro and the Tram line 5, as well as by buses, and is also the southern terminus of the North/South metro line which was opened in July 2018. In May 2008, tram line 5 which used to stop at the station was moved to the Strawinskylaan, where the bus services stop. This is so that the new metro line 52 building works can take place here.

The number of train services to handle passenger demands has been progressively increased over time.^[1] However, the official long-term projections of future passenger numbers have been reported to be expected to increase to an extent to which the station's current facilities shall be insufficient to properly accommodate the corresponding traffic. While heavy demands would naturally necessitate a further expansion of the station, it lies directly between the south-bound lanes of the A10 motorway ring road and several high-rise office complexes, which leaves no space for conventional surface expansion.^[1]

Expansion plans

Following studies into various alternative means to providing greater capacity at Amsterdam Zuid, it was determined that the best likely option would involve the rerouting of the adjacent part of the A10 ring road.^[1] During December 2014, an agreement between the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the City of Amsterdam, the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region and the Province of North Holland was signed to cover the proposed expansion work, which is referred to as the Zuidasdok project. The programme is to be jointly executed by Rijkswaterstaat, the City of Amsterdam, ProRail, the Province of North Holland and Amsterdam Region Transport.^[1] The project carries an estimated cost of approximately €1.9 billion, which makes it one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the history of the Netherlands so far. It is being publicly funded by a combination of the Dutch State, the City of Amsterdam, Vervoerregio Amsterdam, and the Province of Noord-Holland, along with additional investments that are being made by the Dutch Railways (NS).^[1]

During March 2017, a contract to perform the design and construction of the Zuidasdok project was awarded to ZuidPlus, a joint venture between Fluor, Heijmans and Hochtief.^[3][4] The consortium's architectural design team includes Team V Architecture, Zwarts & Jansma Architects and Bosch Slabbers Garden & Landscape Architects. Engineering firm Technolution is to perform system engineering, as well as to provide systems for control and monitoring purposes, including the user interface for the tunnel installation.^[1] Rijkswaterstaat has been engaged by ProRail and the municipality of Amsterdam for the purposes of managing the project's procurement. Being sufficiently financed and having received political acceptance, construction activities is anticipated to commence during 2019 and is scheduled for completion in 2028.^[1][5]

Under the Zuidasdok project, the planned approach for redirecting the southern section of the A10 current traversing the site is to build a series of new underground tunnels to carry the motorway through instead, thereby opening up the surface space required to develop a high-quality and compact intermodal transport terminal around the existing Amsterdam Zuid station.^[6][5] The stated aims of the expansion programme are the improvement of traffic flow within the station, the location's transformation into a modern transport hub for the city, and the stimulation of new urban developments in and around neighbouring districts. Various elements of the local public transport infrastructure are to be redeveloped to better accommodate these aims and the station's overall purpose.^[1]

As envisioned, the expanded station shall feature a light and elegant design intended to blend well with its surroundings. Various modifications are to be made as to enable faster transfers between the numerous train, metro, tram and bus services running through the station.^[1] The Minerva Passage, which links the northern and southern part of Amsterdam’s Southern Axis, will be widened while a new underpass, known as the British Passage, shall also be constructed. The project will also create additional space adjacent to the station to house new bus and tram stops, bicycle parking facilities, and lots for taxis and park & ride facilities to enable quick and comfortable transfers.^[1]

All of the existing mainline platforms are to be widened and covered with new roofs.^[1] In addition, the dedicated metro platforms currently located east of Minerva Passage are to be repositioned to a central location between the (future) British and the Minerva passageways to improve passenger flow distribution across the passages. The new area of station will include the construction of four sets of mainline tracks, as well as additional space being reserved for the future installation of a further two sets of tracks.^[1][5] Upon completion, it shall be served by four separate metro tracks, including the double tracks used by the Noord / Zuid metro line.^[1]

Services

Gallery

• 
  Overview of the station. To the right of the station, the HQ of ABN Amro is just visible.
• 
  Combino tram at Amsterdam Zuid station. Note that this photo was taken when trams still had their stop inside the station, rather than the current two stops just outside.
• 
  View of the station from between the Zuidas offices.
• 
  Overview of tram stops around the station.

References

External links

• NS website
• Dutch Public Transport journey planner