Thorough testing of new North/South line platforms

For now, passengers still board the metro at the temporary platforms above the existing station passageway, on the eastern side of Amsterdam Zuid station. But that will change overnight from 31 October to 1 November 2026. Late on Saturday night, the last metro will stop at the familiar platforms. Just a few hours later, the first metro will depart from the permanent metro platforms at the new Brittenpassage. The platforms were already completed this summer, but did you know that we are also testing them extensively? We are carrying out these tests during several weekend nights in September, so passengers will not be affected. Below, we show you how we are doing this, in words and pictures.

Early on Sunday, 6 September, we started by testing the power supply for metro line 52 (the North/South line). To do this, we removed the buffer stops that currently mark the end of the North/South line, enabling us to connect the section known as the ‘third rail’ at the new platforms to the existing power supply. Once connected, we energised it at 750 volts DC to check that the insulation was working correctly and that no electricity was being lost.

With the third rail connected, and following extensive simulator testing, it was time to test the control and safety systems in practice. The following weekend, we had metro trains travel several times at walking pace from the sidings west of Parnassusweg into Amsterdam Zuid station. The ‘balises’ played an important role in these tests. These yellow devices between the tracks enable GVB traffic control to continuously monitor the exact location of the metro. We also checked that the metro ran correctly along the track and platforms and that all the safety systems were working properly. GVB applies the highest standard, Safety Integrity Level 4, to ensure that the system operates as safely as possible.

The following night, we repeated the tests at increasingly higher speeds, up to the normal operating speed of 80 km/h. This enabled us to carry out additional tests, including simulations of the timetable. The driver has several systems to help with this, including a speed curve on the dashboard showing how fast the metro can still travel in order to stop safely at the platform.