Amsterdam-Noord public transport woes to continue for days
Amsterdammers are facing a number of public transportation issues between the city center and the Amsterdam-Noord district. Public transport operator GVB said on Wednesday that a burst water main will continue to cause problems with one of the city's key metro lines. Additionally, two different ferries will be out of service for the time being.A burst water pipe at the Sixhavenweg kept metros between the city center and Noord out of service since Tuesday.
The GVB said it does not believe the portion of the metro route will be able to include the Noorderpark and Noord stops before Sunday. The metros on route 52, the Noord-Zuidlijn, have been operational between Amsterdam Centraal Station and Amsterdam Zuid Station.
"The water has almost been pumped out of the tunnel by now," a GVB spokesperson said. The cleaning work has already started. "We can then analyze the damage in the tunnel and assess what is needed to drive safely," she said.
Two replacement bus services have been operational between the Amsterdam Centraal IJzijde and Noord and Noorderpark. About six shuttle buses are running during normal operating hours, and eight buses during rush hour.
"GVB employees are working around the clock to help stranded travelers on their way," the spokesperson said. Passengers were advised to keep an eye on the transit operator's travel information website.
Problems with ferries to Noord and Zeeburgereiland
Additionally, the GVB will not operate any ferries between Amsterdam Centraal and Buiksloterweg in Amsterdam-Noord for the next two or three days. The chains that secure the pontoon to the shore at Buiksloterweg broke loose for unknown reasons. The land there is too damaged, and authorities will not allow something else to be moored at the site, the GVB said.
It was previously thought that it was due to a sinkhole, because a crater was visible under the cover plate, which was torn off. That no longer appears to be the case, the GVB reported on Wednesday afternoon. In any case, it will take days to carry out the repairs.
Until then, the ferry that normally sails to Buiksloterweg will be diverted to IJplein. Passengers were advised to take bus line 38 between Buiksloterwegveer and the Valkenweg stop, which is about 450 meters away from the IJplein ferry port.
The GVB has also taken five ferries out of service because these ships have technical problems. As a result, the F9 ferry route between Sporenburg and Zeeburgereiland is not operational.
The Zeeburgereiland stop in the Sluisbuurt neighborhood is just a kilometer from Amsterdam-Noord. The GVB did not announce a replacement bus service for the route. Passengers were advised to take alternate routes via the Amsterdamsebrug instead.
One of the ships will possibly be able to be deployed on the route again on Friday. The recovery of the four other ferries will take approximately two weeks. The other ships taken out of service operate on the F2, F4, and F7 lines.
