Construction , c. 1890–1900. Amsterdam Centraal was designed by
Pierre Cuypers, who is also known for his design of the
Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While Cuypers was the principal architect, it is believed that he focused mostly on the decoration of the station building and left the structural design to railway engineers. The station was built by contractor
Philipp Holzmann. The new central station replaced Amsterdam Willemspoort Station, which had closed in 1878, as well as the temporary Westerdok Station used from 1878 to 1889. The idea for a central station came from
Johan Rudolph Thorbecke, then the
Netherlands Minister of the Interior and responsible for the national railways, who, in 1884, laid two proposals before the Amsterdam municipal council. In the first proposal, the station would be situated between the
Leidseplein and the
Amstel river. In the other, it would be built in the open harbour front allowing for the station to be connected to the existing main lines in the area to the west and the south, but also to a projected new northern line. Cuypers' design of the station building in many ways strongly resembled his other architectural masterpiece, the
Rijksmuseum, of which the construction had begun in 1876. It features a
palace-like,
Gothic/
Renaissance Revival facade, Cuypers' station reflects the
romantic nationalistic mood in the late nineteenth-century
Netherlands, with its many decorative elements glorifying the nation's economic and colonial power at the time. As with the
Rijksmuseum, the station's overall architecture reminded many contemporaries of
medieval cathedrals. Construction works started in 1882. The station is built on three interconnected artificial islands in the
IJ lake. These islands were created with sand taken from the
dunes near
Velsen, which had become available as a result of the excavation of the
North Sea Canal. The islands together are known as
Stationseiland (Station Island). Like many other structures in Amsterdam, the station was built on wooden piles (8,687 pieces). The construction of the station was delayed because of the instability of the soil, which set back the completion of the work by several years. The station building was completed in 1884, but the commission to Cuypers did not include the roofwork of the platforms. Therefore, the station did not yet feature its distinctive station roof. This roof, consisting of 50 curved trusses and a span of almost , was designed by L.J. Eijmer, a civil engineer with the private railroad company
Staatsspoorwegen. The roof was manufactured by
Andrew Handyside and Company of
Derby,
England. Cuypers did design the decorations for the trusses and the gable ends. On 15 October 1889, the station was officially opened, drawing large numbers of crowds. The visitors were charged 0.25 guilders to see the station; in the first two days after the opening, several dozens of thousands paid. The opening of the central station marked the city's transition from a waterfront city to an inland city, spurring further redevelopment activities in the city centre which included the realignment of streets and the filling up of canals. The waterways would soon be replaced by
tramways and cars as the primary modes of transport in the city. However, the launch was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. The inauguration of juxtaposed controls in the station subsequently took place on 26 October 2020. From 2017 there will be further reconstruction works at the station. A number of platforms will be widened making use of the tracks which do not currently have platforms. This means that alterations will be made in the tunnels under the platforms again. Furthermore, the eastern tunnel will be made wider, based on the example of the middle tunnel. The old railway bridges to the east of the station will also be replaced. ==Railway station layout==