Amsterdam Zuid station
Amsterdam Zuid | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Entrance from Gustav Mahlerplein in May 2021 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Netherlands | ||||
| Coordinates | 52°20′20″N 4°52′23″E / 52.33889°N 4.87306°E | ||||
| Operator | Nederlandse Spoorwegen | ||||
| Line | Weesp–Leiden railway | ||||
| Platforms | 2 island platforms | ||||
| Tracks | 4 | ||||
| Construction | |||||
Structure type | Embankment | ||||
| Accessible | yes | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | Asdz | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 21 December 1978 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2025 | 74,859 per weekday[1] (NS) | ||||
| |||||
Amsterdam Zuid station (Dutch: Station Amsterdam Zuid, "Amsterdam South") is a major railway and metro station in the borough of Amsterdam-Zuid, Netherlands. It is situated at the centre of the Zuidas business district, between the two carriageways of the A10 South motorway. The mainline station has four tracks serving two island platforms; the adjoining metro station is served by lines 50, 51 and 52. Tram and bus stops are located on the streets around the station.
The station opened in 1978 as the Amsterdam terminus of an isolated shuttle service to Schiphol Airport. The completion of the southern branch of the Amsterdam orbital railway, the development of Zuidas and the addition of metro and tram services turned it into one of the city's principal transport interchanges. The international Eurocity Direct service to Antwerp and Brussels has called at the station since 15 December 2024. In 2025, NS recorded an average of 74,859 passengers boarding, alighting or transferring between NS trains on a weekday.[1] Including metro, tram and bus passengers, the interchange handled about 100,000 travellers per day in 2026.[2]
The station has been undergoing a major reconstruction as part of the Zuidasdok programme since 2018. A second passenger passage, the Brittenpassage, is scheduled to open on 1 November 2026. The existing Minervapassage will then close for approximately three years while it is widened and raised.[3]
History
Planning and construction
In the early twentieth century, architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage prepared a plan for the development of the area between the Amstel and the Schinkel. His final Plan Zuid of 1915, approved by the city council in 1917, included a proposed Zuiderstation on Minervalaan, approximately at the site of the present station.[4] An embankment for the planned orbital railway was built in the 1930s, but neither the railway nor the station was completed at the time.[5]
Plans drawn up in 1961 for the new central terminal area at Schiphol Airport included a railway connection to Amsterdam. NS invested in a tunnel section beneath the Buitenveldertbaan runway and the shell of the airport station in 1964, although the route decision for the railway was not made until 1973. The first planned section was to connect Schiphol with a station near the Museumplein. An intermediate station at Minervalaan was intended to provide interchange with the proposed Amsterdam Metro.
Construction of the Schiphol railway began in 1973.[6] The existing railway embankment was widened as the A10 was built, creating space in the motorway median for the railway and metro stations. A passage beneath the northern A10 carriageway, bridge 228P, was built in anticipation of the unrealised line to Museumplein. A tunnel section for the metro was constructed beneath the island platform and the southern carriageway. Near the Schinkel bridge, a connection with the former Haarlemmermeer railway enabled rolling stock to be transferred to the otherwise isolated line. The first train travelled over the new railway on 29 September 1978.
Opening and network expansion
Amsterdam Zuid opened on 21 December 1978 as the northern terminus of a shuttle to Schiphol Airport. Because the first section was isolated from the rest of the national network, it initially operated as an independent railway. A single Plan V electric multiple unit completed the journey in six minutes, with three services per hour and a spare unit kept at Amsterdam Zuid.[7]
The line was extended southwards to Warmond on 1 June 1981, where it joined the Old Line, ending the isolated operation and enabling through trains to Leiden and beyond. The proposed Museumplein station was not built; east of Amsterdam Zuid, the railway was instead extended to the then terminus at Amsterdam RAI station.
Following the opening of the neighbouring World Trade Center Amsterdam, the station was renamed Amsterdam Zuid WTC in June 1985. A metro and light-rail station opened alongside it on 30 November 1990. The southern branch of the Ringspoorbaan was completed in June 1993, when the line was extended from Amsterdam RAI through Duivendrecht and Diemen Zuid to Weesp. The WTC suffix was removed from the official station name with the introduction of the 2007 railway timetable.
Expansion since 2005
Between May 2005 and December 2006, the original platform was extended westwards and a second island platform was built immediately to its south. The new platform was assigned tracks 1 and 2, while the original tracks were renumbered 3 and 4. Both platforms received additional stairs, lifts and canopies. The Gustav Mahlerplein entrance was rebuilt in 2011 and the Zuidplein entrance in early 2012; the eastern ends of the platforms were extended later that year and the canopies followed in 2017.
The Utrechtboog flyover opened to regular traffic on 12 March 2006. It enabled direct trains between Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam Zuid and Utrecht without requiring passengers to change at Duivendrecht.[8]
The first metro service at Zuid was line 51, opened in 1990 as a hybrid metro/sneltram service. It used third-rail power north of Zuid and overhead wires on the light-rail section towards Amstelveen, which was extended to Westwijk in 2004. Metro line 50 opened in 1997.[9]
The North–South line, metro line 52, opened on 22 July 2018 with Zuid as its southern terminus.[10] In March 2019, the former hybrid metro/light-rail line 51 between Zuid and Amstelveen Westwijk was closed for conversion into a conventional tramway. The rebuilt line opened as the Amsteltram, tram line 25, on 13 December 2020.[11] The Amstelveenboog, the tunnel curve that had carried line 51 from Buitenveldertselaan into the metro station, was decommissioned after the last service on 3 March 2019 and partly demolished to make way for the Brittenpassage.[12]
Station layout and access
The railway station consists of four tracks at two island platforms. Directly to the north are the metro tracks and platforms. The central station hall, the Minervapassage, links Zuidplein on the north side with Gustav Mahlerplein on the south side. The western ends of the railway platforms can also be reached from entrances at Parnassusweg.
Since 2 March 2026, trains have temporarily stopped approximately 100 metres (330 ft) farther west than before. The platforms were extended over Parnassusweg for this purpose, while their eastern ends above the Minervapassage were taken out of use in preparation for the reconstruction.[13]
The railway and metro have separate paid areas with ticket gates. Passengers transferring between NS and the metro must check out with one operator and check in with the other. The gates accept the OV-chipkaart and contactless OVpay payments. When the Brittenpassage opens, it will temporarily become the principal station entrance and the Minervapassage will close for rebuilding.[2]
Passenger services
Train services
Amsterdam Zuid is served by Intercity, Intercity Direct and Sprinter trains. The Eurocity Direct provides up to sixteen direct services per day to Antwerp and Brussels.[14]
As of 2026, the principal regular services calling at the station are:[15]
- International service
- Eurocity Direct: Brussels-South – Antwerp-Central – Rotterdam Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Almere Centrum – Lelystad Centrum
- Intercity and Intercity Direct services
- Breda – Rotterdam Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Duivendrecht – Hilversum – Amersfoort Centraal
- Rotterdam Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Duivendrecht – Almere Centrum – Lelystad Centrum
- Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Almere Centrum – Lelystad Centrum – Zwolle – Assen – Groningen
- Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Almere Centrum – Lelystad Centrum – Zwolle – Meppel – Steenwijk – Heerenveen – Leeuwarden
- Den Haag Centraal – Leiden Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA – Utrecht Centraal – Ede-Wageningen – Arnhem Centraal – Nijmegen
- Dordrecht – Rotterdam Centraal – Delft – Den Haag HS – Leiden Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA – Utrecht Centraal – 's-Hertogenbosch – Eindhoven Centraal – Venlo
- Rotterdam Centraal – Delft – Den Haag HS – Leiden Centraal – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA – Utrecht Centraal – Ede-Wageningen – Arnhem Centraal
- Sprinter services
- Den Haag Centraal – Leiden Centraal – Hoofddorp – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Duivendrecht – Weesp – Almere Centrum – Lelystad Centrum
- (Leiden Centraal –) Hoofddorp – Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Zuid – Duivendrecht – Weesp – Naarden-Bussum – Hilversum – Utrecht Centraal
Engineering works frequently require temporary alterations, so individual stopping patterns and termini may vary.
Metro services
The metro station is immediately north of the mainline tracks and is normally served by lines 50, 51 and 52:
- 50: Isolatorweg – Sloterdijk – Lelylaan – Zuid – RAI – Duivendrecht – Bijlmer ArenA – Holendrecht – Gein
- 51: Centraal Station – Amstelstation – RAI – Zuid – Lelylaan – Sloterdijk – Isolatorweg
- 52: Noord – Noorderpark – Centraal Station – Rokin – Vijzelgracht – De Pijp – Europaplein – Zuid
The replacement metro platforms above the Brittenpassage are scheduled to enter service when the passage opens. Line 52 will have separate arrival and departure platforms, reducing conflicts between boarding and alighting passengers. The works also make provision for a possible future extension of the line towards Schiphol Airport.[2][16]
Tram and bus services
From 1978 until 1990, tram line 5 terminated in a loop on Zuidplein. Between 1990 and 2008, its stop was integrated into the metro and light-rail station. On 1 May 2008, line 5 was diverted via Strawinskylaan and Parnassusweg to make room for construction of the North–South metro line. The bus stops were moved to both sides of Strawinskylaan after 2000.
In 2016, the stop on Strawinskylaan was rebuilt with a turnback track and crossover in preparation for the conversion of the Amstelveen light-rail route.[17] The platforms at Parnassusweg were lengthened in 2020 to accommodate the coupled trams used on line 25.[18]
The following table shows the normal routes serving the station in 2026; short-term diversions caused by construction work are not included.[19]
| Route | Mode | Operator | Route and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tram | GVB | Westergasfabriek – Leidseplein – Museumplein – Station Zuid – Amstelveen Stadshart |
| 6 | Tram | GVB | Station Zuid – Buitenveldert – Oranjebaan – Amstelveen Westwijk; weekday peak service outside the summer timetable[20] |
| 25 | Tram | GVB | Muiderpoortstation – Oosterpark – De Pijp – Station Zuid – Buitenveldert – Amstelveen Westwijk – Uithoorn Centrum[20] |
| 15 | City bus | GVB | Station Sloterdijk – Station Zuid |
| 62 | City bus | GVB | Station Lelylaan – Station Zuid – Station RAI – Amstelstation; since 29 March 2026 it has no longer served the VUmc[21] |
| 178 | Regional bus | Connexxion | Amstelveen Poortwachter – Amstelveen Busstation – Amsterdam Zuid |
| 198 | Regional bus | Connexxion | Schiphol Airport – Schiphol Noord – Amstelveenseweg – VUmc – Amsterdam Zuid[22] |
| 221 | Regional bus | Transdev | Huizen – Naarden – Muiden – Diemen – Amsterdam Zuid |
| 244 | Regional bus | Connexxion | Amsterdam Zuid – Haarlem – Delftplein/Spaarne Gasthuis, with selected journeys continuing to Velserbroek and Beverwijk; weekdays only[23] |
| 321 | Regional bus (R-net) | Transdev | Eemnes – Laren – Naarden – Muiden – Diemen – Amsterdam Zuid |
| 346 | Regional bus (R-net) | Connexxion | Haarlem Station – VU medical centre – Amsterdam Zuid[23] |
Reconstruction and expansion
Zuidasdok
On 9 July 2012, the national government, the province of North Holland, the City of Amsterdam and the then Amsterdam city region signed an administrative agreement on the Zuidasdok programme.[24] The programme comprises the widening and partial tunnelling of the A10 South motorway, reconstruction of the De Nieuwe Meer and Amstel interchanges, and the transformation of Amsterdam Zuid into a larger public transport hub. Placing the motorway in tunnels alongside the station creates surface space for wider platforms, new tram and bus stations and a possible further railway expansion.
The integrated design-and-build contract was awarded in 2017 to ZuidPlus, a consortium of Heijmans, Fluor and Hochtief. Work on the station began in 2018 and the first roof section of the Brittenpassage was inserted in November 2019. After the integrated project proved difficult to manage, the ZuidPlus contract was terminated in 2020 and the programme was divided into separate contracts. In 2021, Bouwcombinatie Nieuw-Zuid, comprising Mobilis, Boskalis and Van Gelder, was appointed to continue the station reconstruction.[25][5]
The 2026 national budget allocated €3.475 billion to the programme as a whole.[26] In January 2026, the funding shortfall for completing the full scope was estimated at between €1.1 billion and €1.3 billion. A decision on the phasing and funding of elements including the northern motorway tunnel was expected by the end of 2026.[27] The programme is being delivered in stages and was scheduled for final completion by 2037.[28]
Brittenpassage and Minervapassage
The approximately 15-metre (49 ft)-wide Brittenpassage lies about 200 metres (660 ft) west of the Minervapassage, close to Parnassusweg. It has stairs, escalators and lifts to the railway and metro platforms, as well as shops, a public transport service point and an indoor bicycle parking facility with about 2,000 spaces. It is scheduled to open on 1 November 2026.[3][2]
When the Brittenpassage opens, the Minervapassage will close for a reconstruction expected to last approximately three years. The existing passage is to be widened from about 12 metres (39 ft) to 40 metres (130 ft) and raised from approximately 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) beneath the metro tracks to more than 4 metres (13 ft). After completion, it will again form a public north–south route, with the fare gates moved to the individual platform entrances. The station will then have two full passenger passageways.[29]
Third railway platform and international facilities
In 2018, the national government and regional authorities decided that Amsterdam Zuid should eventually be expanded with a fifth and sixth railway track. A 2024 preferred decision selected a third island platform with two additional tracks. The present southern platform would become the middle platform and would be adapted for high-speed trains. A secure departure facility beneath the tracks is planned for passengers travelling to the United Kingdom, where passport, security and baggage checks could take place. Passengers for destinations within the Schengen Area, such as Brussels and Paris, would use the ordinary platform entrances.[30]
The third platform is not part of the current station contract and cannot be built until the adjacent A10 carriageway has been placed in a tunnel. Construction is not expected to start before 2030. The foundations and roof of the Brittenpassage have already been designed to carry the two future tracks.[31] Eurocity Direct services have used the existing four tracks since December 2024.
Bus, tram and bicycle facilities
The final station layout includes a compact bus station in Eduard van Beinumstraat on the north side and tram platforms in Arnold Schönberglaan on the south side. Because both are to be built above the future A10 tunnels, they cannot be completed until the relevant tunnel sections have been built. The bus and tram stations were scheduled to open in 2033 and 2034 respectively.[32]
Until then, the stops on Strawinskylaan and Parnassusweg remain in use. When the Brittenpassage opens, tram line 6 is due to turn at Parnassusweg, while lines 5 and 25 will continue to serve both Parnassusweg and Strawinskylaan.[2] Six bicycle parking facilities with a total capacity of approximately 11,000 bicycles are planned around the rebuilt station.[32]
Passenger numbers
The number of passengers recorded by NS on an average weekday has developed as follows. The figures include passengers boarding, alighting and transferring between NS trains, but exclude passengers using other operators. NS notes that improvements to its calculation method mean that figures from different years are not completely comparable.[1]
| Year | Passengers |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 73,612 |
| 2020 | 30,850 |
| 2021 | 31,603 |
| 2022 | 50,262 |
| 2023 | 61,390 |
| 2024 | 63,365 |
| 2025 | 74,859 |
Gallery
The two island platforms in 2007; the original 1978 platform is on the left._on_route_5%252C_September_2007.jpg)
A Combino tram on line 5 when trams still stopped inside the station.
The station between the office buildings of Zuidas.
A line 52 metro train at Zuid.-5.jpg)
New platform canopies under construction in February 2026.
References
- 1 2 3 "Reizigersgedrag – Amsterdam Zuid" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
Average weekday total of passengers boarding, alighting and transferring between NS trains; passengers using other operators are excluded.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "What do you need to know about the new Amsterdam Zuid station?". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- 1 2 "1 November: Brittenpassage opens at Amsterdam Zuid station". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 1 June 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Plan Zuid" (in Dutch). Amsterdam City Archives. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Geschiedenis van Zuidas" (in Dutch). Zuidas, City of Amsterdam. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ Gerrit Nieuwenhuis, Spoorwegen 1980, De Alk, Alkmaar, 1979, ISBN 90-6013-738-8, p. 10.
- ↑ Gerrit Nieuwenhuis, Spoorwegen 1979, De Alk, Alkmaar, 1978, ISBN 90-6013-723-X, p. 9.
- ↑ "Vliegensvlug van Utrecht rechtstreeks naar Schiphol" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Spoorwegen. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ Schwandl, Robert. "Amsterdam (metro system)". UrbanRail.Net. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Het is zover: start nieuwe dienstregeling" (in Dutch). GVB. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Opening tram 25 op zondag 13 december 2020" (in Dutch). Amsterdam Transport Region. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Farewell to the Amstelveen line". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 15 February 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Extra walking time train platform Amsterdam Zuid station". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Eurocity Direct". NS International. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Amsterdam Zuid station information". Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Metro". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Komende tijd verkeershinder bij Strawinskylaan". Het Parool (in Dutch). 11 October 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Tijdelijke extra halte voor tram 25: halte Parnassusweg". Amstelveenlijn (in Dutch). 13 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 November 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Station Zuid" (PDF) (in Dutch). GVB. March 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Nieuwe GVB-dienstregeling tram 2026" (in Dutch). GVB. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Nieuwe GVB-dienstregeling vanaf 29 maart" (in Dutch). GVB. 27 February 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Connexxion 198: Schiphol Airport – Amsterdam Station Zuid". Transitland. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Nieuwe dienstregeling Amstelland-Meerlanden 2026" (in Dutch). Connexxion. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Structuurvisie ZuidasDok" (in Dutch). Government of the Netherlands. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Combinatie Nieuw-Zuid bouwt openbaar vervoerterminal Amsterdam Zuid" (in Dutch). Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "2026 national budget – Mobility Fund" (PDF) (in Dutch). Government of the Netherlands. 2025. p. 64. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Central government and region to decide on Zuidasdok progress". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Drukbezochte informatiebijeenkomst verbreding A10 Zuid" (in Dutch). Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 2 April 2026. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Preparations for summer work at Amsterdam Zuid set to start". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Voorkeursbeslissing MIRT-verkenning derde perron Amsterdam Zuid" (in Dutch). Government of the Netherlands. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- ↑ "Railway". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. Retrieved 15 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Tram, bus, bicycle, taxi". Zuidas/Zuidasdok. Retrieved 15 August 2026.