Blood, sweat and concrete: the finishing work on the Brittenpassage

Excavating no less than 50,000 cubic metres of sand beneath the train and metro tracks and the A10 Zuid made for some truly spectacular images. Yet, like the years spent building the roof, much of this work on the Brittenpassage remained hidden from public view. That suddenly changed during a bitterly cold spell in January 2025, when parts of the Brittenpassage became visible above the railway embankment for the first time. For eleven days, we worked around the clock to build the first new train platform. Suddenly, two enclosures began to emerge above ground. These steel structures would later accommodate the lifts, stairs and escalators leading up to the platform.

Meanwhile, construction consortium Nieuw-Zuid (Mobilis, Boskalis and Van Gelder) was also hard at work beneath the roof of the passageway. Before each platform could be built, the walls housing the future stairs, escalators and lifts had to be completed. After all, the platforms are partly supported by these walls. And that meant pouring concrete. Lots and lots of concrete. Work was also continuing further underground. We installed an entirely new route for cables and pipes from Gustav Mahlerlaan to the new Brittenpassage. This was needed to supply the passenger tunnel with electricity, heating, telecommunications and water. And make no mistake: the whole process took around seven months.

In March 2025, we also built the second train platform. Shortly afterwards, we began installing the first lifts and escalators. This was a delicate operation, involving cranes lifting enormous components into place from closed lanes of the A10 Zuid, sometimes at night. Meanwhile, we were making great progress inside the passageway itself, installing natural stone from a quarry in Portugal. This was another job requiring great precision, but in a very different way. The designers of the Brittenpassage had devised a particular pattern for the stonework, and every piece had to fit exactly.

One of the biggest highlights was lifting the first new train platform canopies into place at Amsterdam Zuid station. By June 2025, the bitter winter cold had given way to summer warmth as we lifted the first 19 canopy sections into position, each weighing 13,000 kilograms. It was a huge operation, requiring us to close the station and one carriageway of the A10 Zuid. The canopies were transported overnight from Almelo to Amsterdam on special trailers, one canopy per trailer, with each convoy taking up almost three traffic lanes. On arrival, cranes positioned on the A10 Zuid lifted the canopy sections into place one by one, over the railway tracks and overhead power lines. Dozens of construction workers were waiting to install them immediately.

The same process was repeated for the second train platform, and in autumn 2025, we also began building the metro platforms. At that point, there was still a huge gap between the metro platforms. We built a large steel structure across this space and fitted it with glass panels, creating a kind of enormous glass dome that allows plenty of daylight into the passage. Much of 2026 has been devoted to putting the finishing touches to the passageway. We also installed canopies over the metro platforms, similar to those above the train platforms but slightly smaller, and added green roofs and solar panels on top. We carried out extensive testing of all the technical systems, built the retail units and, of course, the large indoor bicycle parking facility in the passageway. And there was plenty more work that needed doing. Just a few more days to go, and seven years of construction will finally come to an end. On 1 November 2026, the new Brittenpassage will (at last) open.