Second-chance materials for Brittenpassage station plazas

When the Brittenpassage opens (in 2027 at the latest), the existing passenger tunnel at Amsterdam Zuid station (the Minervapassage) will be closed for several years for thorough refurbishment. During this period, access to the station will be via the Brittenpassage. Because of this, the northern and southern passageway entrances will need to be easy to reach and accessible for tens of thousands of passengers every day, while also being a pleasant (green) place in which to spend time. This is why we are now starting the temporary landscaping of the public space around the entrances to the Brittenpassage. To the north, this is Eduard van Beinumstraat, and Arnold Schönberglaan on the south side.

The paving slabs that we will be using have been given a special role. They also come from Amsterdam, including from Joris van den Berghweg in Nieuw-West. As soon as paving becomes available as part of a project in the city (e.g. relandscaping), any usable paving goes to the Amsterdam Materials Agency (Materiaalbureau). They are then sprayed clean and sorted to enable them to be reused. The same applies to the lampposts that will be in the station plazas: they also became available from other projects and have been completely refurbished at the Materials Agency. They are not only given a technical check, but also fitted with LED lighting.

Much of the area we are landscaping is currently part of the construction sites of the Nieuw-Zuid construction consortium (Mobilis, Boskalis and Van Gelder). As soon as the Brittenpassage opens, the station plazas will also become accessible. For the time being, passengers will not notice much difference as a result of the work. However, Arnold Schönberglaan is an exception to this: it currently stops at Benjamin Brittenstraat, but we will soon be extending this street all the way to Parnassusweg. As a result, a pedestrian shortcut to the new The CubeHouse will also become available. The street is set to be completed by the end of April.

When the temporary landscaping of the public area around the Brittenpassage has been completed, there will be a lot of work for the construction of the tunnel for the A10 Zuid in this same area. When the motorway is diverted underground in this part of Zuidas (over a length of 1 km), 100,000 square metres will be freed up above ground. In the area we are currently temporarily landscaping, there will ultimately be more space for planting, a new bus station on the north side, a tram station along the south side and a third platform for international trains.