1 November: Brittenpassage opens at Amsterdam Zuid station

The second passenger tunnel is an essential part of the large-scale regeneration of Amsterdam Zuid station, which has long been operating beyond its original capacity. ‘We are incredibly proud of this milestone’, says Jelger Vos, project manager at Zuidasdok. ‘Working on this station is like working on a postage stamp, while keeping the shop open as much as possible. We have been building beneath the motorway and railway tracks. It is an extraordinarily complex project, carried out for us by construction consortium Nieuw-Zuid (Mobilis, Boskalis and Van Gelder).’

With the opening of the brand-new Brittenpassage, located around 200 metres west of the existing passageway, passengers will once again have access to a modern station environment. The bicycle parking facility provides space for 2,000 bicycles, while escalators and lifts offer direct access to the platforms. NS will soon begin fitting out the public transport service centre and a wide range of retail units. Between the metro tracks, large skylights have been installed to bring natural daylight into the passage. Since last year, the new temporary Parnassusweg tram stop, served by tram lines 5 and 25, has also been located next to the Brittenpassage.

Construction of the Brittenpassage began in 2019 with the roof structure. This consists of seven massive concrete roof sections, which were prefabricated in phases within the limited space available in the heart of Zuidas. To slide these enormous roof sections into position, we had to remove the A10 Zuid, as well as the train and metro tracks, on several occasions. These spectacular operations could always be followed via our website. It was only in 2023 that we were finally able to begin excavating the passenger tunnel itself, removing no less than 50,000 cubic metres of sand – equivalent to around 2,500 truckloads – from beneath the motorway and railway tracks. The past year has been dedicated largely to completing the new Brittenpassage. At the same time, we have been constructing entirely new train and metro platforms above the passageway.

Amsterdam Zuid station is the fastest-growing railway station in the Netherlands and is well on its way to becoming Amsterdam’s second-largest station. To accommodate current and future passenger numbers, we are expanding the station as part of the Zuidasdok project. Ultimately, Amsterdam Zuid station will become a high-quality transport hub where (international) train services, metro, tram, bus and bicycle facilities come together. At present, the station remains squeezed between the carriageways of the A10 Zuid. Once the motorway is moved underground, significantly more space will become available above ground.