Dutch Railways (NS) announces no train traffic on June 29, and limited train traffic to, from and via Amsterdam Central Station on June 30 and July 1, due to large scale renovations.
The next phase of the station’s renovation will start on June 29. This means that tracks 14 and 15 will not be available for train traffic for months. As a result, ProRail will also close a large part of the Eastern passenger tunnel on the IJ side of the station with effect from June 24, 2024.
The large-scale work has a significant impact on the walking routes of travellers at the station and on the train timetable.
For example, on June 29, no trains will run to, from and via Amsterdam Central Station all day and limited train traffic is possible from June 30 to July 1. Travellers are advised to consult the travel planner before departure and take additional travel time into account.
What does the work entail?
Tracks 14 and 15 will go out of service on June 29, 2024. Contractor Dura Vermeer will remove these tracks and will then start dismantling the first railway bridge on the east side of the station in July. They also adjust the overhead lines at certain points. From 2 to 5 July, Strukton will follow with pressing the sheet pile walls for the construction of the new underground bicycle shed on the east side of the station. They will also start moving the cables and pipes. For this they also have to close the Eastern passenger tunnel on the IJ side. That will happen on June 24.
If the track is out of service, smart combination of activities is immediately used. For example, contractor BAM will renew the track between the Dijksgracht and Watergraafsmeer and VolkerRail will carry out maintenance on the Singelgracht bridge, the railway bridge located on the west side of the station. Tracks 1 and 2 will be put back into use on Sunday, June 30. This also applies to the stairs from these tracks directly to the forecourt. In the meantime, BAM is working very hard to complete the entrance to the western passenger tunnel on the city centre side.
What does this mean for train traffic?
On Saturday, June 29, no trains will be able to run to, from and via Amsterdam Central Station all day. On Sunday, June 30, there will be no trains between Amsterdam Muiderpoort and Weesp. There is an NS stop bus. In addition, on Sunday 30 June and Monday 1 July there will be very limited trains running between Amsterdam Central Station and Sloterdijk all day long, this mainly has consequences for travellers on the Amsterdam Central Station and Schiphol/Zaandam route.
Travellers use detour routes. This means extra transfers and/or part of the journey by bus or metro. This is possible with an NS ticket. Travellers should take additional travel time into account.
International trains also run on an adjusted timetable these three days and do not stop at Amsterdam Central Station.
From June 24 to June 28, fewer trains will run between Utrecht Central Station and Amsterdam Central Station and Enkhuizen and Amsterdam Central Station. From July 2 to July 7, fewer trains will run between Amsterdam Central Station and Hilversum/Almere. On other routes there are changes to the timetable and departure/arrival tracks. Travellers are advised to check the travel planner carefully before departure during this period and to take extra crowds into account.
Fewer lifts and more difficult to reach
With the closure of a large part of the Eastern passenger tunnel, access to various platforms with the elevator on that side will also no longer be available. The lifts in the western passenger tunnel are still available and can be reached via the IJ side of the station. This results in approximately 10 minutes extra running time.
Signage indicates adapted walking routes and extra employees are deployed for crowd management. Travellers who rely on a lift are recommended to travel via one of the other Amsterdam stations as much as possible. This is automatically taken into account for travellers who use NS Travel Assistance. The entrance to the western passenger tunnel on the center side is expected to be ready in early 2025.
Why renovate?
The reason for the renovation is that the number of train passengers at Amsterdam Central Station is expected to rise from 200,000 to 275,000 per day in 2030. This means that more space is needed for passengers and for more trains.
In addition to the renovation of the station, the Eastern Access Bridges are being renovated on the east side of the station and ProRail is building a grade-separated intersection at the Dijksgracht.
This means that trains do not have to wait for each other. There will also be more room for freight transport. In this way we connect Amsterdam with the rest of the Netherlands and the Netherlands with the rest of Europe.
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