Current and recent station rebuilds in the Netherlands

[NCT]

Amsterdam Centraal is undergoing a rebuild.

The before and after layouts and service operating principles are in the image below

The image is cropped from the below document:

https://www.rover.nl/images/PDFs/20200506_Zienswijze_Rover_PHS_Amsterdam_Centraal.pdf

In the post-rebuild era the station will operate as 4 independent parts
- Zaandam - Bijlmer through, one island for each direction (North Holland - Utrecht IC and Sprinter services)
- Schiphol - terminate from west (2 platform faces)
- Haarlem - terminate from west (3 platform faces)
- Weesp - terminate from east (4 platform faces)
(Haarlem - Bijlmer freight movements go through platform 2)

This appears consistent with Prorail's 2030 map:

https://www.treinreiziger.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Het-Aanbod-van-ProRail-2030.pdf

Although it could be theoretically possible to operate through services between Schiphol/Haarlem and Weesp, the chosen operating principle ensures that the Schiphol, Haarlem and Weesp service groups are entirely segregated with no chance of performance pollution between them. The imbalance in forecast tph on the west and east sides also means the selected operating principle enables the maximum tph to be operated with the fewest number of platforms. If you wanted to maximise through services, then you wouldn't have enough platforms for remaining terminating services. The way Schiphol and Zaandam directions come in paired by use means you can't operate a through on the outside terminate on the inside model.

Moreover, having only 2 short terminating platforms for Schiphol directions means there will no longer be room for Eurostar. Eurostar will have to be moved to Zuid.

If this is good enough for Amsterdam Centraal a similar philosophy will be good enough for Birmingham New Street.

 

[The exile]

If this is good enough for Amsterdam Centraal a similar philosophy will be good enough for Birmingham New Street.

Where would the flyovers go? In many places we've restricted our flexibility by being stingy and not building the vast quantities of flying junctions and other flyovers that have sprung up in continental cities, but I'm hard-pressed to think it would even be possible at New Street (at least not without effectively digging the whole thing out and starting again, which would make HS2 look cheap!)

 

[Bemined]

The image is somewhat outdated, but the overal idea is still the same. Also some of these platforms will be over 640 metres long. Track 4 and 5 will allow a 12-car train from Haarlem to reverse on the western end while a 10-car train from Weesp reverses on the eastern end. Tracks 7, 8, 11 and 13 will get a similar setup but with the signals positioned for 12-car trains on the eastern end instead.

Track 15 is not shown on this map but will be kept for the foreseeable future for Eurostar trains. The idea is to eventually built a new platform at Amsterdam Zuid for these trains, but that will take at least 10 more years. Until then the Eurostar will stay at Amsterdam Centraal. Some timetable adjustments might be needed for this as the whole reason for this reconstruction is to add more trains and the Eurostar trains don't really fit in the intended timetable model.


This is not the only rebuild in the Netherlands by the way, Den Haag Centraal is also undergoing major changes as we speak. Tomorrow platforms 5 till 8 should reopen after being closed for several months. Platforms 1 till 4 remain closed for another week. Den Haag Centraal is the only major terminus in the Netherlands. It used to have 12 platforms being shared by 4 lines. One of those lines (the Hofpleinlijn) got converted to lightrail years ago and got its own platforms above the main station. It took until now though to reconstruct the tracks so all 12 platforms could be used by the remaining 3 rail lines.

 

[NCT]

Where would the flyovers go? In many places we've restricted our flexibility by being stingy and not building the vast quantities of flying junctions and other flyovers that have sprung up in continental cities, but I'm hard-pressed to think it would even be possible at New Street (at least not without effectively digging the whole thing out and starting again, which would make HS2 look cheap!)

Won't need any. The grade-separations around Amsterdam are not for everywhere-to-everywhere passenger movements. Note those grade separations are a couple of km outside Centraal, and Birmingham's equivalent would be just beyond Proof House Junction where the Cross City goes over the Coventry lines, or just beyond Grand Junction where the Water Orton lines go under the Camp Hill and Coventry lines. We've already got'em.

The grade separation is a bit of a distraction to be honest. The main point here is that the Schiphol, Zaandam and Haarlem effectively operate as independent 'plain line' systems with no interactions at the western throat. Likewise the Weesp and Bilmer systems with no interactions whatsoever. This is replicable at New Street with Stour and Gloucester sides operating independently.

 

[AndrewE]

Where would the flyovers go? In many places we've restricted our flexibility by being stingy and not building the vast quantities of flying junctions and other flyovers that have sprung up in continental cities, but I'm hard-pressed to think it would even be possible at New Street (at least not without effectively digging the whole thing out and starting again, which would make HS2 look cheap!)

Hamilton Sq gained a diveunder when the Merseyrail Loop was dug. It's in roughly the same sandstone as Brum too!

 

[NCT]

The image is somewhat outdated, but the overal idea is still the same. Also some of these platforms will be over 640 metres long. Track 4 and 5 will allow a 12-car train from Haarlem to reverse on the western end while a 10-car train from Weesp reverses on the eastern end. Tracks 7, 8, 11 and 13 will get a similar setup but with the signals positioned for 12-car trains on the eastern end instead.

Track 15 is not shown on this map but will be kept for the foreseeable future for Eurostar trains. The idea is to eventually built a new platform at Amsterdam Zuid for these trains, but that will take at least 10 more years. Until then the Eurostar will stay at Amsterdam Centraal. Some timetable adjustments might be needed for this as the whole reason for this reconstruction is to add more trains and the Eurostar trains don't really fit in the intended timetable model.

Is the future Zuid track layout published anywhere? Thanks.

This is not the only rebuild in the Netherlands by the way, Den Haag Centraal is also undergoing major changes as we speak. Tomorrow platforms 5 till 8 should reopen after being closed for several months. Platforms 1 till 4 remain closed for another week. Den Haag Centraal is the only major terminus in the Netherlands. It used to have 12 platforms being shared by 4 lines. One of those lines (the Hofpleinlijn) got converted to lightrail years ago and got its own platforms above the main station. It took until now though to reconstruct the tracks so all 12 platforms could be used by the remaining 3 rail lines.

If Openrailwaymaps is right, one thing I've noticed is that double slips are being removed at the Den Haag Centraal station throat, and some parallel move capabilities are being lost. I suppose they've worked out that for the intended traffic volumes (e.g. 12tph with 4 platform faces) you can cope with some conflicting moves?

 

[The Pelican]

Dutch station rebuilds reminds me of this great magazine article on the Dutch railway architect Sybold Van Ravesteyn:

Sybold van Ravesteyn, an exceptional Dutch railway architect

Between 1930 and 1960 the idiosyncratic architect Sybold van Ravesteyn shaped the image of Dutch railway architecture. He designed clean signal boxes as well as baroque stations.

retours.eu

He built some of his buildings in a modernist style, and some in a kind of light-hearted classicism reminiscent of Edwin Lutyens, the Festival of Britian, the "New Elizabeathan" style, and the film "A matter of life and death". Here is a picture of 's Hertogenbosch station, which could have been designed for Battersea Park's "Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway" from about that time.

 

[Austriantrain]

This is replicable at New Street with Stour and Gloucester sides operating independently.

Sounds like a good plan in principle once Curzon Street opens. There still will be a case for through LD trains through New Street though, not everything will be able to go through Moor Street I believe. That might make it a tad more difficult.

Sounds like a good thing for Amsterdam CS in any case; it is a bit atypical for a central Capital station since it really sits in the middle of a gigantic metro system. While most everywhere else I would think that putting international services to a different station (Amsterdam Zuid) is be a terrible idea, it does make some sense for Amsterdam since all international services stop elsewhere in the Netherlands before Amsterdam and offer connections to the rest of the country at those stations.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Sounds like a good plan in principle once Curzon Street opens. There still will be a case for through LD trains through New Street though, not everything will be able to go through Moor Street I believe. That might make it a tad more difficult.

Sounds like a good thing for Amsterdam CS in any case; it is a bit atypical for a central Capital station since it really sits in the middle of a gigantic metro system. While most everywhere else I would think that putting international services to a different station (Amsterdam Zuid) is be a terrible idea, it does make some sense for Amsterdam since all international services stop elsewhere in the Netherlands before Amsterdam and offer connections to the rest of the country at those stations.

Amsterdam Zuid isn't exactly a welcoming gateway to the city for international travellers, however, compared to the splendid Centraal. It is effectively in the central reservation of the A10 motorway, although I gather that is to be moved as part of the rebuild. It also defeats the advantage the train has of city to city travel. I seem to recall that the Berlin services were shunted out to Zuid for a time, but were moved back to Centraal after complaints.

 

[Austriantrain]

Amsterdam Zuid isn't exactly a welcoming gateway to the city for international travellers, however, compared to the splendid Centraal. It is effectively in the central reservation of the A10 motorway, although I gather that is to be moved as part of the rebuild. It also defeats the advantage the train has of city to city travel. I seem to recall that the Berlin services were shunted out to Zuid for a time, but were moved back to Centraal after complaints.

I agree of course, but there are trade-offs to be made. And many other central stations in other capital cities are neither splendid, nor bang in the city centre (Wien Hbf being a case in point). I rather doubt that anyone who takes an international train to Amsterdam now will not do so in the future when those trains run to Zuid; after all, it is only a not very long metro ride away. The major issue is connectivity to connection rail services, and I believe - as I wrote - that this is less relevant in Amsterdam than elsewhere (because people will change in Rotterdam, Schiphol, Utrecht etc).

 

[MisterT]

Amsterdam Zuid isn't exactly a welcoming gateway to the city for international travellers, however, compared to the splendid Centraal. It is effectively in the central reservation of the A10 motorway, although I gather that is to be moved as part of the rebuild

The motorway is to be moved underground, and the station itself will be fully rebuilt.
IIRC it was supposed to be finished a lot earlier than is currently planned.
A few artist impressions can be found here.

Amsterdam Zuid Verbouwing Station

Station Amsterdam Zuid verwerkt nu al ruim 80.000 reizigers per dag. Met de komst van de Noord/Zuidlijn in 2018 en de groei van het treinverkeer op het traject Schiphol-Amsterdam-Almere-Lelystad worden dat er zeker drie keer zoveel: 250.000 reizigers per …

www.prorail.nl

I've attached two of them.
The possible third platform for the Eurostar is shown as a drawing in the first image.

 

[johncrossley]

Amsterdam Zuid isn't exactly a welcoming gateway to the city for international travellers, however, compared to the splendid Centraal. It is effectively in the central reservation of the A10 motorway, although I gather that is to be moved as part of the rebuild. It also defeats the advantage the train has of city to city travel. I seem to recall that the Berlin services were shunted out to Zuid for a time, but were moved back to Centraal after complaints.

It might be called "Centraal" but it is quite a long way from much of the city centre. For example, it is over 2 km from there to Leidseplein. So arrivals at Centraal would most likely want to get a tram or metro to where they want to go, and you would do the same if you arrived at Zuid.

 

[DanielB]

It might be called "Centraal" but it is quite a long way from much of the city centre.

Amsterdam Zuid indeed is not much further from the city centre than Centraal is, depending on your destination of course.

The major issue is connectivity to connection rail services, and I believe - as I wrote - that this is less relevant in Amsterdam than elsewhere (because people will change in Rotterdam, Schiphol, Utrecht etc).

It is relevant for trains coming from the HSL Zuid as Amsterdam Centraal has connections to Haarlem and North Holland which Amsterdam Zuid doesn't have. And for those destinations changing elsewhere is a less relevant option.

 

[Bemined]

If Openrailwaymaps is right, one thing I've noticed is that double slips are being removed at the Den Haag Centraal station throat, and some parallel move capabilities are being lost. I suppose they've worked out that for the intended traffic volumes (e.g. 12tph with 4 platform faces) you can cope with some conflicting moves?

One of the key changes at Den Haag Centraal is the increased speed over the points towards Leiden and Gouda. This was 40km/h but is now 60km/h. This does mean the points are longer. Also it should be noted that not all platforms are the same length, effectively the Leiden and Gouda corridors have 2 platforms for intercity trains and 2 for local trains. Although in practice only a few intercity trains per day are that long that they won't fit in the shorter platforms for local trains.

 

[rvdborgt]

The major issue is connectivity to connection rail services, and I believe - as I wrote - that this is less relevant in Amsterdam than elsewhere (because people will change in Rotterdam, Schiphol, Utrecht etc).

Nobody has done an analysis to evaluate the impact on international passengers of moving the international trains from Centraal to Zuid (*). It was a purely financial decision by the minister. So we won't get much further than speculation and opinions.
(*) ProRail did claim that they had "figures" but couldn't or didn't want to produce any when asked.

 

[Austriantrain]

Nobody has done an analysis to evaluate the impact on international passengers of moving the international trains from Centraal to Zuid (*). It was a purely financial decision by the minister. So we won't get much further than speculation and opinions.
(*) ProRail did claim that they had "figures" but couldn't or didn't want to produce any when asked.

I apologise. I did not want to presume to tell the Dutch if it is right or wrong, just that it does sound less extreme to me than doing the same in most other capitals or major cities. Personally, I obviously would want to arrive at Centraal since that is the place I always arrived in and I very much enjoyed it (being turfed out in Mestre rather than Santa Lucia would do the same to me, although of course only Mestre is relevant for onward connections).

 

[Amalie]

I apologise. I did not want to presume to tell the Dutch if it is right or wrong, just that it does sound less extreme to me than doing the same in most other capitals or major cities. Personally, I obviously would want to arrive at Centraal since that is the place I always arrived in and I very much enjoyed it (being turfed out in Mestre rather than Santa Lucia would do the same to me, although of course only Mestre is relevant for onward connections).

Quite a number of Dutchies, including me, are unhappy about the change of international trains going to Amsterdam Zuid. The full rebuild of Amsterdam Zuid appears to need another decade anyway, and in the meantime you’ll be welcomed with the glamour of being squeezed between two highways. The rebuild will certainly improve things, but even upon completion, it’s bound to be a significant downgrade compared to Amsterdam Centraal.

 

[rvdborgt]

Quite a number of Dutchies, including me, are unhappy about the change of international trains going to Amsterdam Zuid. The full rebuild of Amsterdam Zuid appears to need another decade anyway, ...

Isn't the latest prediction something like 2038?

... and in the meantime you’ll be welcomed with the glamour of being squeezed between two highways. The rebuild will certainly improve things, but even upon completion, it’s bound to be a significant downgrade compared to Amsterdam Centraal.

Full ack. And all of this isn't based on any metrics that are relevant to passengers.

 

[Bemined]

Planned completion for the redevelopment of Amsterdam Zuid (highway + new station) is 2036. However, that does not yet include the new platform needed for the Eurostar services. They have yet to decide on actually building this platform, right now they only reserved the space for the new platform in the redevelopment. The decision should be made in Q1 2027 in order to include the new platform in the final phase of the reconstruction, if not it will be even later than 2036 before Eurostar can move here.

 

[MrJeeves]

I'm unfamiliar with the idea of moving Eurostar to Zuid, but would I be correct in thinking that is for the ex-Thalys services rather than Eurostar Blue? Or would the suggested Eurostar platforms at Zuid be secured with support for border controls?

 

[rvdborgt]

I'm unfamiliar with the idea of moving Eurostar to Zuid, but would I be correct in thinking that is for the ex-Thalys services rather than Eurostar Blue?

The plan is for all trains from the HSL-Zuid to go to Amsterdam Zuid.

 

[Bemined]

A new security terminal will be built underneath the platforms according to the plans, gates allow half of the middle platform to be blocked from the main entrance prior to arrival of a UK bound train so it's only accessible from the secured waiting area.

 

[MrJeeves]

Thanks for the explanation, both.

 

[NCT]

Sounds like a good plan in principle once Curzon Street opens. There still will be a case for through LD trains through New Street though, not everything will be able to go through Moor Street I believe. That might make it a tad more difficult.

To be clear, I'm not advocating splitting New Street into east and west sides a la Haarlem / Weesp - there's no need. Just needs cleaner separation between the Stour (Wolverhampton - Coventry, platforms 1-6) and Gloucester (University - Water Orton, platforms 7-12) sides. Cross City line towards Lichfield can run to/from both Stour and Gloucester sides because of Proof House grade separation, but the balancing of service favours Gloucester side (as per Cross City services today).

Each side operates with outer roads (2 in each direction) for through services, and 2 inner roads for terminating services. For Cross Country services, all Manchester services go to Coventry (and Northampton), and all North East services go to Bristol. Nottingham - Cardiff stay as they are.

I might even link Leicester up with Hereford. After Midlands Rail Hub (expanded Moor Street with Bordesley Chords to both north and south), it might be the slow Leicester - Birmingham that link up with Hereford, and fast Cambridge - Birmingham going to Moor Street.

 

[Austriantrain]

To be clear, I'm not advocating splitting New Street into east and west sides a la Haarlem / Weesp - there's no need. Just needs cleaner separation between the Stour (Wolverhampton - Coventry, platforms 1-6) and Gloucester (University - Water Orton, platforms 7-12) sides. Cross City line towards Lichfield can run to/from both Stour and Gloucester sides because of Proof House grade separation, but the balancing of service favours Gloucester side (as per Cross City services today).

Each side operates with outer roads (2 in each direction) for through services, and 2 inner roads for terminating services. For Cross Country services, all Manchester services go to Coventry (and Northampton), and all North East services go to Bristol. Nottingham - Cardiff stay as they are.

I might even link Leicester up with Hereford. After Midlands Rail Hub (expanded Moor Street with Bordesley Chords to both north and south), it might be the slow Leicester - Birmingham that link up with Hereford, and fast Cambridge - Birmingham going to Moor Street.

Thank you. Out of interest, even though OT here: will the Bordseley chords allow for a Bristol - Moor Street (reversal) - Derby service withouth crossing the Snow Hill lines?

 

[NCT]

Thank you. Out of interest, even though OT here: will the Bordseley chords allow for a Bristol - Moor Street (reversal) - Derby service withouth crossing the Snow Hill lines?

No.

Assuming full Midlands Rail Hub:

Any Water Orton (could be from Derby or Leicester) - Moor Street services are routed to platforms A and B on the north side of a six-track Moor Street - Bordesley formation.
Moor street - Cheltenham (for Bristol or Cardiff) will depart from Moor Street platforms 3-5(/6? I forget the exact number), onto the south side of the six-track formation.
Snow Hill - Marylebone services use platforms 1 and 2 in the middle of the formation. There's no grade separated crossovers between the 3 parts of the formation.

Think of Moor Street / Curzon Street as Amsterdam Centraal and New Street as Zuid. If you want to run through trains between Den Haag (Cheltenham) and Weesp (Water Orton) you shall run via Zuid (New Street). If you want to run to Moor Street (Centraal) you shall terminate. Same with Den Haag Centraal and HS.

 

[Struner]

No.

Assuming full Midlands Rail Hub:

Any Water Orton (could be from Derby or Leicester) - Moor Street services are routed to platforms A and B on the north side of a six-track Moor Street - Bordesley formation.
Moor street - Cheltenham (for Bristol or Cardiff) will depart from Moor Street platforms 3-5(/6? I forget the exact number), onto the south side of the six-track formation.
Snow Hill - Marylebone services use platforms 1 and 2 in the middle of the formation. There's no grade separated crossovers between the 3 parts of the formation.

Think of Moor Street / Curzon Street as Amsterdam Centraal and New Street as Zuid. If you want to run through trains between Den Haag (Cheltenham) and Weesp (Water Orton) you shall run via Zuid (New Street). If you want to run to Moor Street (Centraal) you shall terminate. Same with Den Haag Centraal and HS.

thanks for your update on the update to

Recent and current station rebuilds in the Netherlands​

 

[ABB125]

No.

Assuming full Midlands Rail Hub:

Any Water Orton (could be from Derby or Leicester) - Moor Street services are routed to platforms A and B on the north side of a six-track Moor Street - Bordesley formation.
Moor street - Cheltenham (for Bristol or Cardiff) will depart from Moor Street platforms 3-5(/6? I forget the exact number), onto the south side of the six-track formation.
Snow Hill - Marylebone services use platforms 1 and 2 in the middle of the formation. There's no grade separated crossovers between the 3 parts of the formation.

Think of Moor Street / Curzon Street as Amsterdam Centraal and New Street as Zuid. If you want to run through trains between Den Haag (Cheltenham) and Weesp (Water Orton) you shall run via Zuid (New Street). If you want to run to Moor Street (Centraal) you shall terminate. Same with Den Haag Centraal and HS.

An earlier version of the Bordesley chords plan was for both chords to land on the south side of the current tracks, then 4 track into Moor Street. Would allow easy through running (if desired) between north and south destinations. Not sure when on why the plan was changed; personally I'd say the earlier version was better from a passenger perspective (all terminating trains in the same part of the station, not split either side of the through tracks).
Some very rough sketches here of the older

And newer

Proposals

(I appreciate this is slightly off topic though!)

 

[NCT]

Groningen

Current layout from Openrailwaymap - after an extensive rebuild that finished in July 2025



Google Earth imagery still shows remnants of the old layout



Service pattern through Groningen (this is from the Prorail 2030 map, which is near identical to the service pattern in operation). Each (thick) line represents 2tph



The main lines towards Zwolle start/finish at Groningen, with four terminating platforms.

The local line from Leeuwarden / north coast run through to the east (Wunderline).

The two pairs of half-hourly local services between the north and east form a combined ~15-minute interval service between Sauwerd and Zuidbroek. This solution is 'un-Swiss' as it means one pair does not connect into the half-hourly Groningen - Zwolle inter-city services quite as well. A Swiss-style solution would have the two pairs of services flighted so everything connects into and out of the inter-city services. However, a 15-minute interval commuter service is valuable in its own right, and the 'Dutch' solution saves on the number of platforms. The local lines have 3 platforms with the centre platform used for terminating services should the need arise.

The separation between the main (Zwolle) and local lines means there is absolutely no temptation for 'oh go on, run a few inter-cities through'.

 

[DanielB]

The separation between the main (Zwolle) and local lines means there is absolutely no temptation for 'oh go on, run a few inter-cities through'.

They can't run through anyway as the local lines aren't electrified. For rolling stock transfers (for example when Meppel - Leeuwarden would be closed) it is possible to have NS rolling stock being pulled by a diesel locomotive use the local line to get to Leeuwarden as there is a non-electrified connection track between the workshop at Onnen and both halves of Groningen station.