Schiphol Station renovations to start 2022, cost €500 million: report

The government, ProRail, NS, Schiphol and the Amsterdam Transport Region are very nearly at an agreement regarding the expansion of Schiphol train station. The renovations, which will include larger access gates and a new bus station, are scheduled to start in 2022 and expected to cost some 500 million euros, AD reports based on draft plans the newspaper got a look at.

The expansion is needed to cope with the ever growing number of train passengers to and from Schiphol. Currently around 95 thousand people use the station every day. In a decade, that number is expected to grow to 130 thousand. The station is already overcrowded. "Also at Schiphol Plaza [the main hall] and the bus station it is crowded and bottlenecks with capacity and safety risks arise", the plans read, according to AD. 

The plan is to separate train- and air travelers at Schiphol. The arrival hall above the platforms - Schiphol Plaza - will be expanded to create space for a separate train passenger section. This section will only be accessible with access gates, meaning that Schiphol Station will no longer be the only train station in the Netherlands without gates. The enlarged hall will also be rearranged for convenience, which means that part of the catering and retail businesses will have to relocate or disappear. 

The plans also include a new covered bus island with 20 stops that will be located in front of the Sheraton hotel. The bus stations will also have access gates. And to relieve the arrivals hall, underground train platforms will all have a direct connection to the buses. Other plans include bicycle storage with 500 spaces, expandable to 800, room for taxis, and a service road for emergency services. 

The intention is to start the expansion in 2022 and finish it in 2025. The Schiphol train station will remain open during the work. The refurbishment will cost around 500 million euros, "insiders" told the newspaper. The money will come from the multi-year program for infrastructure, spacial planning and transport MIRT.