The Noord/Zuidlijn is being built to improve the accessibility – and the liveability – of Amsterdam. Moreover, the new metro line will be important for the economic development of the city and its immediate surroundings. 
  
Over the past few years, Amsterdam has been becoming less and less easily accessible. Especially in the city centre, the trams and buses are often overcrowded. Some tramlines are even considered to be the busiest in the world.

It has been calculated that 1.3 million people made use of the city’s buses, trams and metros in 2005. And this number is only going to rise.

That is why public transportation needs to be expanded. It is simply not possible to add more trams in the city centre. But there is plenty of room underground. An underground metro won’t have to cope with traffic jams, so it can run quickly and on time. The Noord/Zuidlijn will be able to handle an important part of the growth. With the Noord/Zuidlijn, Amsterdam will have another metro line to link the most important centres of the city with each other. It will be a fast and reliable connection between Zuid Station and Amsterdam-Noord. With the Noord/Zuidlijn, you will soon be able to travel from Amsterdam-Noord to Amsterdam-Zuid in just 16 minutes.

Accessibility of the region

Accessibility within the city is not the only thing that will improve with the Noord/Zuidlijn. The improved accessibility of Amsterdam for people from outside the city is at least as important.

Amsterdam has grown to be an extensive metropolitan area. It is the largest shopping area in the region and important for culture, tourism and nightlife. The number of inhabitants of Amsterdam and the surrounding towns and villages continues to grow, as does the number of jobs.

The need for transportation grows along with these things. These days, three-quarters of those who come to Amsterdam enter the city by car. This has an enormous  impact in terms of accessibility and liveability. There is traffic congestion around the edge of the city, heavy traffic within the city centre and major parking problems. The Noord/Zuidlijn is more than necessary to help meet the ever-increasing demand for public transportation in the Amsterdam region.