On December 21, 1978, after years of planning, Amsterdam Zuid Station finally opened its doors. The station consisted of nothing more than a simple stop in the median of the A10. A single commuter train ran back and forth to Schiphol in isolation, without any connection to the rest of the rail network.
Nearly half a century later, that windy stop is completely unrecognizable. The transit hub has grown into the fastest-growing station in the country and is preparing to handle 200,000 passengers a day. This coming Sunday, November 1, will mark the biggest milestone yet with the opening of the brand-new Brittenpassage.
Berlage’s Forgotten Rail Plan
Plans for a southern station had been on the drawing board for decades. As early as 1915, architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage sketched a Zuiderstation on Minervalaan in his famous expansion plan for Amsterdam. The necessary rail embankment was actually constructed in the 1930s, but then lay vacant for decades as a forgotten earthen wall. It wasn’t until Schiphol began to grow rapidly that the project gained momentum again.
When the first passengers finally boarded in 1978, there was no comprehensive rail network to speak of. The line operated as a strictly isolated service: a single Plan V train set shuttled back and forth between the meadows and the airport in six minutes. While cars raced along the newly opened A10, only one backup train stood by on the lonely platform in case of emergencies.
The office towers that changed everything
Starting in the 1980s, towering glass office complexes sprang up around the quiet station. With the arrival of the World Trade Center in 1985, the modest train stop officially became Amsterdam Zuid WTC. The windy roadside quickly transformed into the country’s most important financial business district.
When the North/South Line opened in 2018, passenger traffic exploded for good. By 2026, the transit hub was already handling 100,000 passengers daily via metro, tram, and train. During the morning rush hour, the decades-old passageway turned into a stifling bottleneck that simply could no longer handle the enormous crowds.
Farewell to the old station concourse
On November 1, 2026, the Zuidasdok megaproject will reach a decisive milestone: Amsterdam Zuid Station will officially open the brand-new Brittenpassage. The bright, 15-meter-wide underpass near Parnassusweg leads passengers directly to the train and metro platforms and houses shops and an indoor parking facility for 2,000 bicycles.
Starting on that same date, the familiar Minerva Passage will close after nearly fifty years for a thorough three-year renovation. With this change, the station is taking the necessary step to accommodate the expected 200,000 passengers per day by 2030.
