Removal of old platform canopies at Amsterdam Zuid station

The second passenger tunnel at Amsterdam Zuid station (the Brittenpassage) will open by 2027 at the latest. At that same time, the current passageway, the Minervapassage, will close for several years for a major reconstruction. You may already have noticed this in recent years. For example, we have installed additional support structures and moved sections of the new roof into place beneath the metro tracks. From April 2026 onwards, the transformation will also become clearly visible above ground. On Saturday, 11 April and Sunday, 12 April, we will remove 28 large canopy sections from the two train platforms, after which they will be demolished.

Lifting out the canopy sections – each measuring approximately 10 by 15 metres – is a complex operation. For this, we will deploy three cranes on the A10 Zuid, which will be closed in both directions during the weekend of 10–13 April (see box below). Using the cranes, we will carefully lift the canopy sections out towards our work site at Spoorslag. There, the sections will be stacked, as they are too large to transport by road. They will be dismantled on site at a later stage.

The works concern the old platform canopies located west of the current access points to the train platforms at Amsterdam Zuid station. Passengers entering the platform here will temporarily walk along an uncovered section of platform of around 60 metres. For several weeks now, trains have already been stopping 100 metres further west than before, directly above the new Brittenpassage. This means that no trains stop at the (eastern) section of the platform where the old canopies are being removed. The canopies directly above the staircases will remain in place for the time being, ensuring that the Minervapassage remains sheltered during rainfall.

In the coming months, further large-scale works will follow at the Minervapassage. For example, at the end of April and the beginning of May, we will install retaining walls, which will later form the walls of the construction pit from which the new Minervapassage will be built. Once the Brittenpassage opens, we will begin the actual demolition of the current passage. At that point, the passageway will be completely stripped, after which the remaining section of platform and the canopy above the staircases will also be removed. We will then begin constructing the new Minervapassage. This will take several years, as we must constantly take into account the metro and train services that will continue to run throughout the works. Towards the end of the project, new platform canopies will be installed above the renewed Minervapassage, as we previously did above the Brittenpassage.

The reconstruction of the Minervapassage is part of the large-scale regeneration of Amsterdam Zuid station. This is necessary to accommodate the growing number of passengers. The Minervapassage will be widened from approximately 12 metres to 40 metres, and will include shops and facilities such as a bicycle parking area.