Cable car over Amsterdam IJ River could depart from Westerpark area metro station

If a cable car is built over the IJ River in Amsterdam as proposed, it could feasibly depart from the Hemknoop metro station in the Westerpark neighborhood, said Amsterdam Alderman Melanie van der Horst in a letter to city council on Wednesday. The cable car would then stop at Minervahaven before continuing on to Softwareweg, located on the west side of the NDSM-werf in Amsterdam-Noord. The cable car would then make the return trip over the river.

The prospect of making the cable car project a reality increases by using the Hemknoop location as a main terminal instead of either Minervahaven or Isolatorweg, because it eliminates several complications that would have surfaced had builders been forced to do their work simultaneously with large ships coming and going from the Mercuriushaven, a harbor in the area. It also reduces the likelihood of creating an obstacle that would delay the construction of more homes in the Haven-Stad district.

Thousands to use cable car daily by 2040

The budget for the Hemknoop metro station, which has yet to be built, was earmarket last year to extend metro line 50 from Isolatorweg to Central Station. That ultimately makes the Haven-Stad area more accessible, the city said at the time. The cable car site at Minervahaven, also a harbor in that part of the city, can still be used as an intermediary point with fewer construction issues had it been a terminal, Van der Horst stated.

Roughly 900 people are expected to use the cable car per day if it is completed by 2030. Once a bridge is also constructed over the IJ in that area, some 4,500 people are expected to use the cable car daily. That could happen by 2040, the alderman said.

Feasibility update

A feasibility study into the cable car has been ongoing for 1.5 years. So far, researchers found that the proposed route, including Hemknoop, "does not have any insurmountable nautical or urban development objections," Van der Horst wrote.

Advantages include a straighter and shorter cable line, and a connection to a bus that will be running between Sloterdijk and Central Station. The Minervahaven stop on the cable car line would also connect people to a proposed extended tram line running along the Spaarndammerstraat.

As a result, the cable car could become a key piece of infrastructure along the ZaanIJ route, a proposed rapid transport corridor running between Amsterdam and Zaanstad. This will make it possible for hundreds of thousands of people to reside in the region, according to Vervoerregio Amsterdam.

Bridges still a more urgent need

For now, the priority for the mayor and the coalition of aldermen "remains the construction of the bridges over the IJ because of the great transport value they have to improve the accessibility of Amsterdam-Noord," Van der Horst said. The city leadership is also holding that position in talks with the national government about city planning issues.

Before a cable car or the western bridge over the IJ is built, the city plans to first build a bicycle bridge between Amsterdam-Oost and Amsterdam-Noord. The city will spend 100 million euros on that project by 2029, with 75 million more contributed by Vervoerregio Amsterdam, the regional public transport district. The city still needs to find another 100 million euros necessary to complete construction.

The final results of the cable car feasibility study are likely to be ready by the end of the year, Van der Horst wrote. It will also include discussions with residents and entrepreneurs to see if there is a business case for the cable car's construction, before any final decisions are made to build the cable car route.