Fewer trains around Schiphol, no trains at Amsterdam Zuid from Sunday due to track work
There will be no trains running to or from the Amsterdam Zuid station for the next two weeks, and fewer trains will take passengers to and from Schiphol Airport due to scheduled maintenance. Construction contractor BAM is working on the track at the Zuidas to move, repair, and replace switches, and to move signals, cables and pipes. The maintenance is scheduled to continue until Sunday 27 November.
Work on the track was set to begin at 4 a.m. on Sunday morning. The maintenance and construction work is needed to handle the growth in future passenger numbers anticipated by ProRail, the railroad infrastructure organization. These projects will also help handle the crowds on platforms at Schiphol Airport and elsewhere. "Thanks to this work, we will be able to run more trains between Schiphol and Amsterdam Centraal in a few years' time," said ProRail.
Changing and moving the switching points at the Amsterdam Zuid station ensures that the Intercity Direct between Amsterdam and Breda can run along the east side of Amsterdam in the future. This will create more room for the rail network on the west side, so that more trains can run the route there between Schiphol and Amsterdam Central.
Passengers with valid train tickets will be able to use them on the Amsterdam subway during the rail works. The metro lines 50, 51 and 52 arrive and depart from the Amsterdam Zuid station. The NS will also provide a replacement bus service.
The NS also issued a warning to travelers about the consequences the track work will have on other train routes, specifically between Utrecht and Nijmegen. Normally there is a train from Amsterdam Zuid to Nijmegen, but it will not run in the coming weeks.
This will have consequences on the duration of train trips to Nijmegen. "Check the travel planner carefully before departure," advised a spokesperson.
Reporting by ANP