Europaplein Station will be located close to the main entrance of Amsterdam RAI, the city’s principal exhibition and conference centre. The station will have two entrances: one adjacent the Europahal and one near the roundabout. 
  
There will be underground bicycle-parking facilities. With its depth of eight metres below Normal Amsterdam Water Level, Europaplein Station will be the least deep of all the stations. Some 27,500 passengers are expected to use the station each day. Once the metro tunnel and Europaplein Station are finished, the street will be completely revamped.

A boulevard with a new theatre
The metro station is not the only thing that will be new at Europaplein. Just across Europaboulevard, the new Joop van den Ende theatre and the new headquarters for the local district council will be built.

The last little bit under the ground
The metro line will still run underground past Amsterdam RAI. The tunnel-boring machine will stop at Scheldeplein. The Noord/Zuidlijn will resurface in the central reserve of the A10 ring way between Europaplein Station and Zuid Station.

Work in progress

At this moment, preparations are being made on Europaplein for the construction of Europaplein Station. Beside the station itself, the reception shaft for the tunnel-boring machine will be located here, as will two additional tunnel elements between the reception shaft and the station and between the station and the A10 ring way. Since the station will be located partially beneath the existing roundabout, the traffic circle is being transformed into an intersection. Click here to see a map of the area once everything is finished.

Traffic disruption around Scheldeplein 1 – 5 May
The traffic situation around Scheldeplein has been altered due to the Noord/Zuidlijn. This is necessary in order to create room for the construction of the reception shaft for the tunnel-boring machine. From 1–5 May, the new lanes will be asphalted, which means traffic will be disrupted. Cyclists and pedestrians can still get past the building activities.

From 7 am on Tuesday, 1 May, through 5 pm on Friday, 4 May, Wielingenstraat will be closed at Scheldeplein. Traffic going from Wielingenstraat towards Europaplein and vice versa will be rerouted at Stadionweg in the direction of Churchilllaan and Scheldestraat.

From 7 pm on Friday, 4 May, until 6 am on Saturday morning, 5 May, Scheldestraat will be closed at Scheldeplein. In connection with the annual commemoration of the dead, the contractor will stop work between 7.50 pm and 8.10 pm. Traffic going from Europaplein towards the centre and vice versa will be rerouted via Wielingenstraat, Stadionweg and Churchilllaan. The bus (line 15) will also travel along this new route.

As from 5 May, the bus (line 15) will make use of the new bus stops. These are still located on Scheldeplein, but then closer to Rockefeller and Knijn Bowling, respectively.

Construction of the tunnels and station
From Scheldeplein to the A10 ring way, the Noord/Zuidlijn will be built in the traditional way. That means that a closed circular cofferdam will be made with sheet piling. This cofferdam will be excavated, and part of the tunnel will be made at the base of the cofferdam. Once the tunnel is finished, the circular cofferdam will be filled up with sand and the sheet piling will be removed. To maintain accessibility for the neighbourhood and Amsterdam RAI, the construction of both the station and the tunnels between Scheldeplein and the station and between the station and the central reserve of the A10 will take place in different phases.

Construction work is currently under way on both Europaplein Station and part of the tunnel. One section of the tunnel, adjacent the Europahal, is already finished.

Building activities near Scheldeplein
From the top of the Damrak to all the way to Scheldeplein, the two metro tunnels are being created by means of two tunnel-boring machines. These machines will go underground at the Damrak and will resurface again in the reception shaft in the middle of Scheldeplein, where they will be dismantled and carried off. Preparatory activities have been under way for the building of the reception shaft since November 2006. To make room for the construction of the shaft, traffic around Scheldeplein will be diverted between November 2006 and May 2007 (under conditions).

Building activities near Scheldeplein
Cables and pipelines are being laid, car lanes and bicycle lanes are being moved and trees are being removed. The ‘Pisa’ ice cream stand has moved to the south side of Wielingenstraat.

For more information and a small map showing the altered traffic situation, click here.

Art on the fences
Amsterdam RAI has decorated the fences round the building site by means of three art projects. Passers-by can see cityscapes by photographer Peter Spaans. He photographed a number of Amsterdam houses and streets near the future Vijzelgracht Station.

Legs adorn the fence on the Europaplein side. This project by Lucie Nooren is titled: ‘We houden de loop erin’ [We Are Keeping Pace]. This refers to the dynamics involved in the construction of the Noord/Zuidlijn and the day-to-day hustle and bustle of Amsterdam RAI.

Bicycling past RAI you can see about 300 wooden puzzle pieces that will immerse you in a shower of colour. This project, ‘Kinderspel’ [Child’s Play], was made by Lous Diepman in collaboration with John Prop and Kes Lilani.

Information for people living or working nearby
Those who live or work nearby will be informed by means of newsletters and news bulletins as well as biweekly overviews of the building activities.