Digging Deeper: the Noord/Zuid line

Planned trajectory

As its name suggests, the Noord/Zuidlijn line aims to connect Amsterdam Noord (the north part of the city above the IJ River) – through the city centre – with the south (zuid). One end of the line will be at Buikslotermeerplein in Noord, the other at Station Zuid, with stops along the way at Johan van Hasseltweg in Noord, Central Station, Rokin, Vijzelgracht, Ceintuurbaan, and the Europaplein, adjacent to the RAI congress centre.

The new line will bring obvious benefits, namely closer integration of the until now isolated city district Noord, giving it rapid transit access to the Zuidas (South Axis) business centre and the regional rail network. City planners estimate the travelling time between Noord and Station Zuid will be 16 minutes.

A brief history

Alas, the Noord/Zuid line has not been entirely free of controversy, and that has a lot to do with the soggy ground upon which Amsterdam has been built.

Amsterdam's first metro line, the Bijlmer line, which connects the city centre with the city district Zuidoost, was built in the 1970s by means of the cut-and-cover technique. This required the demolition of many buildings along the route of the metro between the Central Station and the Amstel Station. There was tremendous civil resistance to the project for this reason, which culminated in the Nieuwmarkt riots in 1975.

Deep boring

For the Noord/Zuid line, the idea for which was first mooted back in 1986, city planners decided to adopt a different, hopefully less controversial construction technique, namely deep boring.

The obvious advantage of tunnelling is that buildings along the path are not affected – at least in theory. Deep boring is a mature technique, yet questions remain about its application in Amsterdam.  The city is constructed on soggy, unstable ground that was reclaimed from forested swamps in the Middle Ages.

Challenges

Construction began in 2003 with a budget of 1.46 billion euros, with an estimated completion date of 2011. However, there have been various delays owing to repeated problems with the soft ground. Most recently, in June 2008, a row of historical houses on the Vijzelgracht, adjacent to the construction site, sank some 15 centimetres owing to leaks in the tunnel walls, resulting in suspension of building activities.

Because of the ongoing problems, some critics argued the project should be stopped, or at least modified. The Socialist Party (SP) urged abandoning the underground section between Central Station and the RAI, running the metro as a tram on the surface. In 2009, an independent commission recommended completing the project as planned, but warned of escalating costs. The Noord/Zuid line, which is now scheduled for completion in 2017, may ultimately cost as much as 3,1 billion euros.

In December 2009, the first of the enormous underground drilling machines was hoisted into place at the Rokin construction site. Horizontal boring is expected to commence in March 2010. City engineers are confident that the risks to the historical buildings along the route will manageable.

More information

The City of Amsterdam has an information centre for the Noord/Zuid line at Stationsplein 7 at Central Station. Open Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, and from 11:00 to 16:00 on Sunday.

There is also a observation post open to the public at the construction site on the Rokin. It is open Wednesday through Sunday, 15:00 to 19:00. Admittance is free. The entrance is across from Rokin 92, at the Spui tram stop.