Where in Zuidas
In the first weekend of May 2023, we began to replace the roof of the Minervapassage, which will ultimately be twice as high as it currently is. As was the case then, starting on the evening of Friday 9 June until Sunday 11 June, a diversion via the metro platforms will be in place. Access to the metro platforms by lift will be possible only from Gustav Mahlerplein. The other lift will be out of action because of the works. In Mathijs Vermeulenpad and Arnold Schönberglaan, taxi buses will be standing by to drive people with mobility issues from Zuidplein (WTC) to Mahlerplein and vice-versa. There will be stewards in the station to assist with heavy luggage and children’s buggies. Passengers who wish to access the metro platform with their bikes are advised to use the Gustav Mahlerplein entrance in order to take the lift on that side. Metro and railway services will continue to run as normal.
9 June: inserting a roof section for the Minervapassage
This work on the Minervapassage is necessary in order to accommodate the growing passenger numbers at Amsterdam Zuid station. For the same reason, we have been working since 2019 on the construction of a second passageway: the Brittenpassage. The Minervapassage will soon be 40 m wide (now around 12 m) and approx. 4.2 m in height. During the weekend closure in May, we successfully demolished part of the old roof across which the metro trains ran. This was no easy job, because we had to lift and transport the 20 m long concrete roof beams (girders) from their position. Work done during recent weeks includes constructing an additional roof support at the centre of the Minervapassage. The video below shows the concrete pouring for this additional support.
Shifting process
On the evening of 9 June, we will be shifting the new roof section, which has been ready and waiting on the construction site between the glass domes for a while, into its permanent position. This roof section will be underneath the platform of the North/South metro line (52). Would you like to watch how the process happens? Register now and come and watch on Friday evening (between 21:30 and 01:00 at night).
114 m to the east
Before we can insert the 100 m long concrete sheet into position, we first need to install some runners. These are mostly already in place, apart from the section immediately above the passageway. This was where, after removing the old roof in May, we put in place a temporary roof that we first need to remove in order to install the runners. We will begin the work in the nights before 9 June, which means that this section of the Minervapassage will be without a roof for several days. At 21.00 on 9 June, we will then start pushing the concrete colossus that needs to be moved around 114 m to the east. At around 21.00, the diversion will begin to apply in the passageway. The process will take approximately ten hours, which means that the roof section will be in its permanent position by Saturday morning. But that will still not be the end of the work.
Tensioning, bearing pads and dropping
When the roof section is in position, it will be post-tensioned. We will pull cables through the previously-created hollow channels, tensioning the roof section. This will enable the roof section to support an even heavier load later on. It is similar to a row of books standing alongside each other: if you push them together, it is easier to lift them has a whole. At this stage, the roof section will still be several centimetres too high. We are inserting it slightly higher deliberately, to enable us to put bearing pads between the roof section and the abutments and interim support that we built previously. The abutments serve to support the heavy roof section on either side and the interim supports are needed because the roof section is so long. The bearing pads will be placed in-between the roof section and the supports and abutments. A bearing pad like this distributes forces, enabling the heavy roof section to move to some extent. When they have been partly constructed, we can allow the jacks on the runners to drop, so that the roof section gradually comes to rest on its supports. Once the deck is safe and stable in its position, we will clear the work site. On the morning of Monday 12 June, the passageway will be open again.
Until mid-July: rebuilding process
Once the shifting work has been done, we will complete work on the bearings and refit the passageway. We will put back the public transport gates and re-tile the tunnel to ensure it looks tidy again. We will also make the northern lift to the metro platforms (on the Zuidplein side) accessible again. This new roof section under the track of the North/South metro line is not yet the end of the renovation of the Minervapassage roof. In the years ahead, we will be building and inserting two further roof sections underneath the metro tracks. We will of course keep you informed of progress.
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