Amsterdam Metro Route

Amsterdam Metro Route

From Centraal Station to Amsterdam Zuid station, Route 51 ran as a full metro service and had no at-grade intersections. The light-rail vehicles on the line were powered by a third rail with the line being suitable for 3-metre (9 ft 10 in) wide trams. The BN vehicles, however, had a width of 2.65 metres (8 ft 8 in) which was the maximum width on the southern section of the line between Zuid Station and Westwijk. In order to bridge the gap between the trains and the platforms in northern section, the vehicles were equipped with retractable footboards at the doors. In addition, the vehicles were equipped with pantographs in order to retrieve power from the overhead wiring on the southern section. From Zuid Station to Westwijk, the route operated as an express tram service. On the northern half of this section, Route 51 shared tracks with Line 5 of the tramway, with dual height platforms provided at the stops shared by both lines.

Since 3 March 2019, the Amstelveen section of route 51 has been discontinued. Line 51 was upgraded to a full metro line and now runs between Central Station and Isolatorweg. Since December 2020, tram line 25 has been serving the route from Zuid Station to Westwijk.

Ring Line (Route 50)

Opened on 1 June 1997, the Ringlijn (Ring Line or Circle Line) is entirely built on embankments and viaducts, and has no level crossings. The line was initially for political reasons called "express circle tram", but since the opening of the Ring Line the transit service on the line is referred to as a Metro Route 50 (from Gein to Isolatorweg). Because it was originally considered a tram line, the light rail vehicle width of 2,65 meters was to be applied, the width that was also used on the Amstelveen Line. The new "trams" (Series M4 and S3) have retractable running boards to bridge the space between the vehicle and the platform at existing stations. Since Route 50 proved hugely popular, the express tram vehicles were insufficient to handle the number of passengers. Instead of ordering additional vehicles, in 2000 the city of Amsterdam decided to adjust the platforms at the stations between Amstelveenseweg and Isolatorweg, whereby the older rolling stock (M1, M2 and M3) serving on the East Line could also serve on the Ring Line. Such an operation was already taken into account during the construction of the stations.

North–South line (Route 52)

In 2002, the construction of the Noord/Zuidlijn (North–South line) was started. The new metro line is the first to serve the Amsterdam North district, via a tunnel under the IJ. From there, it runs via Amsterdam Centraal to Amsterdam Zuid, which is planned to become the second biggest transport hub in the city, after Amsterdam Centraal. The line includes a mixture of bored tunnels and immersed tunnels under the IJ.

The construction programme experienced several difficulties, mainly at Amsterdam Centraal, resulting in the project running more than 40% over budget and the opening being delayed several times. The project initially had a budget of €1.46 billion, but after several setbacks the total cost estimate has been adjusted to €3.1 billion (at 2009 prices). The original planned opening was for 2011, but eventually the line was opened on 21 July 2018.

The North–South line might be extended to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the future. In August 2014, it was announced that the line was to be equipped with 4G mobile phone coverage, to be funded jointly by the major mobile phone operators.

Amsterdam Metro Planned Expansion

The tram line to IJburg in the east was originally planned to be a metro line. For this reason, a short tunnel was constructed eastwards from Centraal Station underneath the railway lines. As this line was eventually constructed for tram services, the tunnel was abandoned, and there are plans to use it as part of a chocolate museum. There are still plans for the tram to IJburg to be upgraded to metro and connect to the nearby city of Almere.

On completion of the north–south metro line, Amsterdam Municipality announced it was analysing a possible east–west line at a projected cost of €7 billion.

In January 2019, CEO of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Dick Benschop announced that agreements had been reached to extend the north–south line to the airport and Hoofddorp. In June 2019, the province of North Holland outlined plans to extend the metro to Zaandam and Purmerend along with Schiphol and Hoofddorp. A station box has already been constructed for a potential underground station in Sixhaven, on the north–south line between Noorderpark and Centraal, to be opened at a later date.

Amsterdam Metro Overview

Amsterdam Metro Native Name: Amsterdamse metro
Owner: City of Amsterdam
Amsterdam Metro Locale: Amsterdam, Diemen, Ouder-Amstel
Amsterdam Metro Transit Type: Rapid transit
Amsterdam Metro Number of Lines: 5
Amsterdam Metro Number of Stations: 39
Amsterdam Metro Daily Ridership: 247,397 (2018)
Amsterdam Metro Annual Ridership: 90.3 million (2018)
Amsterdam Metro Began Operation: 14 October 1977
Amsterdam Metro Operator(s): Gemeente Vervoerbedrijf
Amsterdam Metro Number of Vehicles: 90
Amsterdam Metro System Length: 42.7 km (26.5 mi)
Amsterdam Metro Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Amsterdam Metro Electrification: Third rail, 750 V DC
Amsterdam Metro Top Speed: 70 km/h (43 mph)