Railways in the Urban Context

an architectural discourse

Roberto Cavallo
Railways in the Urban Context
 Railways in the Urban Context
an architectural discourse

Proefschrift

Ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor

aan de Technische Universiteit Delft,
op gezag van de Rector Magnificus prof. dr. ir. J. T. Fokkema,
voorzitter van het College voor Promoties,
in het openbaar te verdedigen op vrijdag 30 mei 2008 om 12.30 uur

door

Robertino CAVALLO
laurea di dottore in Architettura Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (Italië)
geboren te Salerno (Italië)
Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promotoren:
Prof. ir. L. van Duin
Prof. ir. S.U. Barbieri

Samenstelling promotiecommissie:

Rector Magnificus, voorzitter

Prof. ir. L. van Duin, Technische Universiteit Delft, promotor
Prof. ir. S.U. Barbieri, Technische Universiteit Delft, promotor
Prof. ir. H.C. Bekkering, Technische Universiteit Delft
Prof. ir. M. Riedijk, Technische Universiteit Delft
Prof. arch. A. Ferlenga, Facoltà di Architettura IUAV Venetië (Italië)
Prof. arq. G. Ruiz Cabrero, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura Madrid (Spanje)
ir. N. de Vries, MVRDV Architecten en Spoorbouwmeester, adviseur

ISBN: 978 90 5269 361 3

Copyright © 2008 Roberto Cavallo

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any
manner what so ever without permission in writing
from the Publisher and the copyright holder.

COVER: Railway Station - Masterpieces of Architecture,

Charles Sheppard, Bracken Books Singapore 1996, p.24-25

VI
Contents

Preface VII

Part 1 – Research background 2

Introduction 3
Object of study and research structure 6
Research method and consulted sources 9
Existing field of research 10
Other PhD theses at the TU Delft 14
Specification of terms and theoretical framework 16
Research hypotheses 19
Motivations 20

Part 2 – The railroads in the Dutch City 22

Introduction 23
The low lands: territory and transport until the first decades of the nineteenth century 26
The first railways and the shaping of the Randstad 30
Dutch railway companies and stations 39
The twentieth century and the Dutch railroads 48
Contemporary developments: High Speed Rail and the Randstad 55

Part 3 – Entangled with the city: the metropolitan railways 62

Introduction 63
Railways and expanding modern cities: the work of Otto Wagner 67
Personal fascination: the Stadtbahn of Vienna 69
Awaiting metropolitan railways: the Dutch project 79
Under construction: North-South, a new metropolitan line in Amsterdam 88
Metropolitan railway stations in Amsterdam: dug in Architecture 92

Part 4 – Multi functional terminal or monument: the case of Amsterdam Central Station 104
Introduction 105
The railway and the urban setting of Amsterdam Central Station 106
The Cuypers project 108
The present intervention: ‘Stationeiland’ 128

VII
 cont ent s

Part 5 – Railway areas in the Dutch City: architectural interventions in the margins 128
Introduction 129
The eastern harbour area of Amsterdam and the railway zone 130
Theoretical framework and master plan 137
Design projects 143

Part 6 – The ‘5 x 5 projects for the Dutch City’: the case of Haarlem 152
Introduction 153
Haarlem and the construction of the first Dutch railroad 155
Railways and the nineteenth century development of Haarlem 163
The railway zone and the expansion of Haarlem in the twentieth century 166
The current situation: framework for interventions 176

Part 7 – Conclusions 182

Final considerations 183
Railway and city: projects for the Randstad 185
Proposals for further research 193

Bibliography 197
Image credits 203
Nederlandse samenvatting 211
About the author 215

VIII
Preface

This research is the result of the work carried out at the Faculty of
Architecture of the Delft University of Technology in the past four
years. Theme and development of this thesis were conceived in the
framework of the research programme ‘Urban Architecture’. As a
member of the research team ‘Urban Architecture’, I’ve been involved
during the last four years in several activities connected with the main
theme of this work. Therefore, at the moment I’m writing this preface,
part of the content of this research has already been published in the
form of papers for international congresses, articles for professional
magazines and journals and in the book series OverHolland. Moreover
part of the material contained in this research is also used in lectures
given to students and professionals.
Many people are involved in different ways with the making of
this thesis. First of all I would like to thank my tutors, Leen van Duin
and Umberto Barbieri. The realization of this project would have
been impossible without their support, encouragement and trust. In
addition, I’m grateful to Leen for his great confidence in my work. I
would like to use this opportunity to express my gratitude to Umberto
for the way he tutored me throughout this research and for his open
minded way of guiding me professionally and intellectually in the last
fifteen years.
I owe special thanks to my colleague Dirk Zuiderveld for his great
help in editing my texts. My thank goes also to Filip Geerts for his
interest on this research. Filip wrote, together with Umberto Barbieri
and me, an article about the Noord/Zuidlijn, the new underground
railway line in Amsterdam. For their help and suggestions also I’m
grateful to my colleagues Henk Engel and François Claessens. They

IX
 p reface

both contributed to sharpen the structure of this research. Next to

them I would like to thank all the members of the research group
‘Urban Architecture’ and particularly Willemijn Wilms Floet, Esther
Gramsbergen, Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané and Olivier van der Bogt.
My gratitude goes also to all students who worked with me in the
past four years and who shared the interest in this research topic. In
this respect I’m particular thankful to Jeroen Homan, Martin Elslo,
David Philipsen and Leander Moons who, with their work, contributed
to the way I’ve approached the topic of my research. In addition I owe
special thanks to Ilmar Hurkxkens for his help in lay-outing the final
version of this thesis.
Finally I have no words to thank my wife Karin for her unconditioned
and constant involvement in my research project. She knows as no
other how difficult it has been for me managing work and family in the
last years. Her patient support and understanding helped me through
all the difficulties I encountered along the way.

X
1
mario Sironi, Paesaggio Urbano con fabbrica
e cavalcavia, 1922-1923, 75x75cm
 PART 1

2
Research background

Introduction

In the preface of his book ‘The impact of railways on Victorian cities’ John
Kellet singles out the railways as one of the most important factors
influencing the British city on different levels:

‘ …it was the influence of the railways, more than any other single agency,
which gave the Victorian city its compact shape, which influenced the
topography and character of its central and inner districts, the disposition
of its dilapidated and waste areas, and of its suburbs, the direction and the
character of its growth; and which probably acted as the most potent new
factor upon the urban land market in the nineteenth century’1.

Wolfgang Schivelbusch considers the assertion formulated by

Kellet, result of his investigation on the British city, valid and extendable
to other West and Central European countries2. Nobody could predict
that, next to its role of means of transportation, the railroad would be
able to influence the development and the growth of the city. Therefore
it is not a coincidence that the industrial revolution, the growth of the
European city and the realization of railways all belong to the process
of urbanization typical of the XIXth century. This period is fundamental
in the development of the modern European city, at least for the ones
in western and central Europe.

1
Nowadays, in the XXIth century, the dynamic of urbanisation requires
J.R. Kellet, The impact of railways on
the implementation of efficient public transportation systems and the
Victorian cities, preface p. xv.
transformation of existing ones. Like 150 years ago, the discussion 2
about the traffic flows creates an interesting perspective when dealing W. Schivelbusch, The railway
with the future of the city. Designing an infrastructure is often an journey, p. 178.

3

3 on the developments of the surroundings. In addition, the realization
A. Monestiroli in L’arte di costruire
la città, lecture hold at the DO.CO.
MO.MO conference in Barcelona
(1994), published in Progetto del
territorio urbano (by C. Macchi
Cassia, Milan 1998), explains
how important is the making of
road and railway infrastructures
in the modern city. Quoting
Monestiroli: ‘La strada e la ferrovia
diventano l’elemento ordinatore
della città nel territorio restituito alla
natura. L’elemento che stabilisce
le relazioni fra le parti e assicura
le loro connessioni’. See also A.
Monestiroli in L’arte di costruire la
città in La metopa e il triglifo, 2002,
p 73.
4
For convenience and in order
to make a clear distinction
between the different types of
railroads, from now on I will
use the terms ‘metropolitan
railways’ or ‘metropolitan lines’
referring to what we would usually
call ‘underground’ in English,
‘metro’ in French and Dutch or
‘metropolitana’ in Italian and
Spanish.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
occasion to propose a project for the transformation of the city. When
it comes to railroads, this debate is very much alive all around Europe,
particularly if we look at the number of competitions and projects for
the accommodation of high-speed railway lines.
In this framework the leitmotiv of my research is looking at the
railway in relation to the city, approaching the topic from an architectural
point of view. I personally think that the realization of railways,
especially in the city, must be considered as an important theme
of architecture. The railways as well as the streets are the ordering
elements of the city, the elements ensuring the relationship between
its parts and their mutual connections3. Therefore the construction of
railways and their physical presence in the city have further influence
of railways in the city involves the construction of several buildings
all together forming the railway yard. Stations as well as viaducts,
bridges, crossovers and even underground terminals, are all interesting
buildings interrelated with the city.
History tells us that the construction of infrastructures and
particularly of railroads does not belong to the primary task of
architects. The engineer, who is also entitled to design railway buildings,
controls technique and standardization, fundamental for railroads.
Nevertheless the involvement of architects into railway projects
came relatively soon, approximately from the second half of the XIXth
century. Particularly stations needed to change their identity from
mere shelters for trains to modern gates to the city. Therefore from
a utilitarian piece of engineering the station had to turn into a theme
of architecture. The train station quickly became a representative
building for the city, a point of concentration for economical activities
and a central node for public transportation. In the meanwhile, with
the construction of the first metropolitan railway lines4, railways
started to play a role themselves as means of urban transportation.
The construction of metropolitan railway lines required a different
architectural approach in order to accommodate trains in the existing
cityscape. Besides, from this moment on, metropolitan railway lines
often form the backbone of projects for the expanding modern city.
In the XXth century the railway takes an essential position in the
planning of the city. Despite the gradual but constant increase of car
traffic, the railway keeps an important role as reliable means of public
transportation. In the meanwhile railroads and metropolitan lines are
4
 PART 1

enclosed by the ever expanding city and, whether well integrated or

not, are part of the cityscape. Railway and marshalling yards occupy
large and precious surfaces in the city, sometimes being an obstacle
for further developments.
After the Second World War the reconstruction period offers the
chance of reconsidering the planning of infrastructures in the city.
Nevertheless infrastructures, and especially railways, are in this
period mainly planned from the functional viewpoint of accessibility
of the city. Main roads as well as railways are needed primarily to
ensure an easy access from the outskirts of the city to its centre.
In terms of architecture nothing really changed in comparison with
the XIXth century. Although stations are transforming into multimodal
transport nodes, remaining an interesting theme of architecture, the
building of new railroads or the refurbishment of existing ones did not
turn automatically into an important architectural assignment even
if located inside the city. Another interesting issue, very common in
Europe during the past two decades, is the displacement of industries
5
or harbour areas from the centre to the outskirt of cities, offering the The term ‘Randstad’ is relatively
chance to think about the re-use of marshalling yards. First built in recent and is used to put together
order to ease freight transport links to industries and ports, these the provinces of Utrecht, North
railways yards lay often in obsolete areas strategically located in the and South Holland. The etymology
of the word comes from the
cities.
combination of rand (border)
and stad (city) and summarizes
All the above-mentioned issues are also of present interest for The the geographical characteristics
Netherlands. In addition, in the Dutch case and more specifically the of this urban conglomeration
Randstad5, the realization of a new high-speed railway line (HSL) in (a sequence of border cities
the middle of its territory is actually only the beginning of a chain of surrounding a green heart). The

projects that will influence the complete transportation network on the story goes that Albert Plesman,
(founder of the Dutch air company
international, regional and local level. While the construction of the
KLM) flying over the provinces of
HSL is coming almost to an end, several questions arise regarding the Holland, introduced in 1930 the
future situation of the railway network in the Randstad and the impact term Randstad as a name for the
on its cities. It must be remembered that one of the backbones of the spatial characteristics that the
Randstad is the almost circular railway network linking its major cities. urban landscape had in this region.
The HSL project will bring transformations to all this. The existing ring- For detailed information about the
Randstad and its anatomy see H.
like railway network will be only suitable for regional or local services
Engel, Randstad Holland in kaart,
while the important traffic will be taken over by the HSL. Cities on the
article in OverHolland 2, 2005, and
HSL will take advantage of their position and develop important trade S. Musterd, B. de Pater, Randstad
areas in the vicinity of the HSL stations while other ones will have to Holland. Internationaal, regionaal,
implement quick transportation links with the closest HSL hub in order lokaal, 1994.

5

6
Gerald L. Burke gives an
extensive description of the main
characteristics of the Dutch towns
in his book The Making of Dutch
Towns. In the Chapter X of the
book Burke describes the Dutch
Towns of mediaeval origin as being
orderly, functional and compact.
According to Burke a term that
could resume the uniqueness of
Dutch cities is ‘Grachtenstad’,
canal town, defined by Burke as
a peculiarly Dutch conception.
Another distinction that could be
made is the one of using the term
Dutch City referring to the towns
situated in the old province of
Holland, with the only exception of
including also the ones of the old
province of Utrecht too. Nowadays
the term Dutch city is indicative
of the cities included in the
geographical area that we would
call the Randstad, see also note 5.
7 planning.
Here I would like to refer to the
meaning of the term ‘project’ as
widely used by architects but,
considering the framework of
this research, I think it is more
appropriate and precise to talk
about ‘project of architecture’
instead of ‘project’ in order to
make clear that my approach to the
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
to be part of this future network. Basically all cities in the Randstad
will be involved in this process, generating interesting opportunities for
new architectural interventions.
Considering all these facts, I think it is the right moment to look into
the development of railroads and their interaction with the Dutch city6
accepting the fact that the project of architecture7 is an important key
issue to understand this process. Beyond its primary role of proposing
a solution for the need of construction, the project of architecture
has to be here considered as an important device to comprehend the
transformations of the city. Although typological, morphological or
stylistic studies are treated in this work, the main objective of this
research is a critical reading of the project of architecture and its role
for the development of railroads in the Dutch cities.
Object of study and research structure
Railway and city have been coexisting for approximately one and half
century. Analysing their mutual relationship today, it’s important
to understand how railways, as physical elements in the city, are
experienced in terms of space.
When in the nineteenth century the railway lines appeared they
were clearly indispensable contributions to the development of the
city. Miles of railways were quickly built without taking the future scene
of the city into consideration.
The result is that today the railway is entangled with the city like
a spider net while its role has drastically changed. What in the early
days contributed to the development of the city, is nowadays, although
indispensable, often considered as an obstacle, a limitation for city
At this point some crucial questions arise: what then is the
relationship between the construction of the city and the realization
of the railway? Which role occupies the railway and its buildings in the
process of development of the city? Which transformations does the
city have to deal with and what does the railway and its buildings have
to do with it?
The answers to the mentioned questions imply the knowledge of a series
6
 PART 1

of facts that occurred in a relatively long time span. The relationship

between the railway and the urban context is a complex matter.
Too many factors are involved with it. The combination of political,
economical, geographical and technical factors makes every situation
specific. Therefore it is not always easy to reduce the complexity of
this matter to plain issues. This is the reason why, for convenience
and clarity, I decided to reserve the first chapter of this research to a
compact overview of the development of railroads in The Netherlands
and particularly in the Randstad. Specific about the Randstad is the topic is through an architectural
perspective. In addition, to
fact that in the last 150 years not only its cities developed but also
specify what I mean by ‘project
its countryside changed. This circular agglomeration of cities with a
of architecture’, I would like to
green heart is not planned as such but it is the result of a series of quote Jasper Cepl in his essay
developments. I believe that geo-morphology and railroads have been Hans Kollhoff e il mestiere dell’
the most important factors in the development of the Randstad as we architetto, contained in the book
know it today. Therefore, while setting out this part of the research, Hans Kollhoff, edited by Cepl self,
when he explains the influence of
I will try to support this assumption explaining in which period the
O.M. Ungers on the work of Hans
shaping of the Randstad took place.
Kollhoff. ‘... Nella sua riflessione
sulla trasformazione morfologica,
Like already stressed in the introduction to this chapter, the relationship Ungers considera il progetto come
between railway and city becomes relevant for this research when anello di una catena che lo collega al
considered in an urban context. Among other possible standpoints, passato e al futuro. Poiché la forma
si sviluppa dalla trasformazione di
I think there are three themes worth studying in which the project of
ciò che l’ha preceduta, a questo
architecture plays an important role in the interaction between the
rimane legata, pur creando qualcosa
railroads and the urban fabric. di nuovo che indica verso il futuro e
The first issue concerns metropolitan railways. The construction avanza così nella storia’. Translated
of metropolitan lines into the city leads to architectural problems in English: ‘...In his reflection on
without precedent. How to integrate this new means of transportation the morphological transformation,

with the existing cityscape? What would be the right way of designing Ungers considers the project as
a ring in a chain connecting the
the railway buildings? For this part of my research I will move on
past with the future. Since the
two different tracks. First of all I will look at how the building of form develops itself out of the
metropolitan railways started in the modern city. An important example transformation of what precedes
in this framework is the project of Otto Wagner for the Stadtbahn of it, stays linked with it, even if
Vienna. While explaining this project I’ll try to focus on its relevance creating something new indicating
from the viewpoint of architecture. In the second place I will discuss the future and so going forward
in history’. In one of the following
a long time missed chapter of the Dutch urban project: the building
paragraphs, dedicated to the
of metropolitan railways. The debate about the metropolitan lines
specification of terms and the
started very late in Holland, actually only at the end of 1950s. The theoretical background, I will get
project of metropolitan railways in the Dutch city is in fact still part back on the concept of ‘project of
of the post-war reconstruction and renovation works, when linking the architecture’.

7

8
The article of N. de Vries
Netherlands: six stations for the future
is recently published in Rassegna
84, September 2006.
9 city can influence the outcome of the designs. The assignment was to
Natalie de Vries, together with
Winy Maas and Jacob van Rijs, is
one of the founders of the office
MVRDV, based in Rotterdam. She
is currently also chief architect for
the Dutch railroad company, the
so-called NS.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
new outskirts of the city with its centre was considered an important
social issue.
The architectural theme of the station is the second issue that I
point out in this research. In her article ‘Netherlands: six station for
the future’8, Nathalie de Vries9 gives a brief overview of how the
Dutch government is concentrating its efforts on mainly six railway
stations. Investments of over a billion euros are put into the stations
of Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague, Arnhem and Amsterdam-Zuidas
(Amsterdam-South axis), the last one expected to be finished only in
2020. Her conclusion is that there is currently in Holland a general
lack of architectural policy behind these huge projects. The difference
in planning between ministries, councils and railroads companies, all
trying to reach their own targets, makes the role of the architect very
ambiguous. According to de Vries, the most important assignment for
the architect is unifying the interests of all parties. Although named
in this article, surprisingly the project for the complete refurbishment
and extension of Amsterdam Central Station is not really considered
as being part of the new key railway projects. My personal opinion is
that the project in course of realization in Amsterdam is extremely
interesting because it deals with another important topic in terms
of architecture: the future of the existing station as a representative
building for the city. While discussing this project I will attempt to give
an answer to the following main question: is there still a place in the
city for the monumental station or must we accept the tendency of the
multi functional terminal as the indisputable solution for the future?
The third theme I would like to discuss is the one concerning architectural
interventions in centrally located railway areas. While explaining the
work I did together with students in one of our ‘Master Thesis Studio’
at the faculty of Architecture of Delft, I will try to show how taking
a theoretical position towards the relationship between railway and
make a joint master plan and then an individual design proposal for a
specific railway area in a Dutch city. The part of the work I will discuss
in this research is based on the proposals we made for a location
on the Eastern Docklands of Amsterdam. This project has been an
attempt to link the content of this research with the design exercises
elaborated in the ‘Master Thesis Studio’.
8
 PART 1

The last section of this research, the sixth part, is dedicated to the
investigations I’ve made about the relationship between the railway
and the city of Haarlem as part of the research project ‘5 x 5 projects
for the Dutch City’10, currently running at the faculty of Architecture of
Delft. This section of the research is mainly a chronological analysis
on the development of railways in the specific context of Haarlem. The
final scope of the text is to sketch a framework that can be useful for
the purpose of architectonic interventions in Haarlem’s railway zone.

Research method and consulted sources

As already mentioned in the preface, the content of this thesis is

strictly related with the research programme ‘Urban Architecture’.
The study on transformation and renewal of the contemporary Dutch
City through architectural interventions is the main scope of the
programme. Areas in and around the cities where docks, industries
or marshalling yards were located, are rapidly becoming available for
new developments. In addition, the dramatic and continuous changes
caused by the globalization of the market economy generate as
counterforce a strong emotional desire to keep links with the past, with
the essential characteristics of the historical urban fabrics.
In this respect my research does not deal only with contemporary
architectural interventions but is concerned also with the historical
condition of the Dutch city as an important point of departure to
investigate the topic. The main architectural issues proposed in
this research are investigated through an analytical and descriptive
method. This objective part of the research, in which I try to bring up
the most relevant facts connected with the topic, is carried out through
the consultation of the sources. Next to it there is also a subjective
part based on my personal critical viewpoint. This second approach is
used in order to discuss every theme within a specific framework given
by my critical observations or questions. The objective and subjective
approaches are both illustrated in the introduction to every chapter.
The comparative method of research and the research through case
studies are also regularly applied in the course of this work. Especially
10
the research through case studies has been particularly fruitful when For extensive information about the
searching for answers to specific research questions. Fencing off the 5 x 5 projects for the Dutch City see
topic through a clear choice of the case study has been a fundamental OverHolland 5,2007.

9

11
The ‘Stadsarchief Amsterdam’,
after a closure of several months,
was recently opened to the public
in the restored building ‘De Bazel’,
the famous former bank located
at the Vijzelstraat in Amsterdam
and named after his designer, the
Amsterdam School architect De
Bazel.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
step particularly when treating the themes of the metropolitan railways
and the station as multi functional railway terminal.
In terms of sources this research is mainly based on literature studies.
For clarity and convenience the bibliography is divided in two sections.
The first section named ‘General’ is comprehensive of books or articles
mostly dealing with the role of infrastructure in the construction of
the city. In the second section, called ‘Railway and City’, I’ve ordered
all the other publications directly concerned with the railroads. As I
will explain in the next paragraph, there is hardly any book describing
extensively the relationship between the railways and the Dutch City
considered from an architectural viewpoint.
Next to the consultation of publications are worth mentioning my
visits to the ‘Utrechts Archief’, an archive with a huge collection of
documents, books and images about the Dutch railways, and to
the ‘Spoorwegmuseum’, the Dutch Railway Museum, also located
in Utrecht, with an interesting exposition and the collection of the
historical material regarding the railways in The Netherlands. Beside
a deep immersion in the history of Dutch railways and a great
inspiration, I have not used any direct information coming from the
‘Utrechts Archief’ or the ‘Spoorwegmuseum’. A primary source I have
to name is the archive of the city of Amsterdam, currently called
‘Stadsarchief Amsterdam’11, where I’ve found interesting material
about the railroads in the city. From this archive I’ve directly used
several illustrations regarding the railway stations of Amsterdam and
the construction of railways in the city. Finally I would like to mention
my visit to the office of Benthem Crouwel architects in Amsterdam.
Very inspiring for this research has been my conversation with Joost
Vos, chief architect of the project involving Amsterdam Central Station
and the transformation of Stationeiland. Several images used in this
thesis are directly coming from the data file of this firm.
Existing field of research
Because of its current relevance, the relationship between the city
and the railway generates quite a bit of interest in Europe. Several
publications are dedicated to the projects for the High Speed Trains.
10
 PART 1

Almost all well known magazines dealing with architecture and design
have issued a number on the infrastructure and the city, mainly focusing
on stations and competitions for new High Speed Train facilities. This is,
generally speaking, interesting documentation, particularly important
for the sections of my research regarding the current developments
around the topic.

Although the history of railways is a wide field of research, it is

interesting to note that in the recent years only few books have been
published on this topic. Several authors have provided overviews on
the history of railway networks, about construction of stations and
tracks, mainly concentrating on national subjects. In some books the
expansion of the railway system and its facilities is treated. Other
publications concentrate on technical details, especially concerning
trains, special locomotives, wagons etc. It is surprising that most
authors did not address their attention to the consequences of the
presence of railways in the city and vice versa.
As far as architecture is concerned, in addition to a number of
publications about stations and their styles, the book ‘The impact of
railways on Victorian cities’ by John R. Kellett, published in 1969, is
still the most complete overview. The introduction and the impact of
railways on British major cities are well illustrated here. For Germany,
France and other European countries there are no authors going deeply
and specifically into this matter as did John R. Kellet in his book.

For an interesting overview of railway buildings in relation to the

engineering and, in the second place, to the architecture of railroads,
it is worth to study the work of the Italian researcher Francesco Viola in
his book ‘Ferrovie in città’. Next to a detailed description regarding the
development of railway infrastructures, in his book Viola analyses the
phenomenon of the railway in relation to the urban project of several
European capital cities.

Looking into the available Dutch literature about the topic, it is

clear that the interest of most writers is concentrating on national
matters. Among the publications we find a couple of good overviews
about the history of the Dutch railway network (the last one is the
book ‘Spoorwegen in Nederland’ by Guus Veenendaal, 2004), some
other about the stations and about technical aspects or monuments

11

12
The original Dutch text goes as
follow: ‘…Rijden over ijzeren
wegen voelde als vliegen’, A. van
der Woud, Een nieuwe wereld. Het
ontstaan van het moderne Nederland,
p. 283.
13
As already mentioned, this book
contains also the article of Henk
Schmal titled Cities and railways in
The Netherlands between 1830 and
1860.
14
The Netherlands Research School
TRAIL is the co-operative school
for PhD research and education
of Delft University of Technology,
Erasmus University Rotterdam and
the University of Groningen.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
along the train tracks. On the relationship between the Dutch cities
and the railway there are no extensive books, but only some articles
in newspapers, magazines or books. One of the most interesting
contributions in this sense is the article of Henk Schmal ‘Cities and
railways in The Netherlands between 1830 and 1860’, published in the
‘The city and the railway in Europe’. Another relevant text questioning
the current architectural tendencies in matter of stations is the one
of Harm Tilman titled ‘Architectuur van stations’, article published
in magazine ‘de Architect’ nr.9-2004. Worth a mention is also the
recently published book of Auke van der Woud ‘Een nieuwe wereld.
Het ontstaan van het moderne Nederland’. This book treates the great
transformations of Dutch society in the nineteenth century due to
the realization of new communications networks. The construction
of railways plays of course an important role in all this. The impact
of railways on the mobility of people could be shortly resumed in a
phrase written by van der Woud: ‘…Riding on railways felt like flying’12.
For a good overview about the realization of railway stations in The
Netherlands I can advise to look at following three books: J.W. van Dal
‘Architectuur langs de rails’, P. Saal & F. Spangenberg ‘Kijk op stations’
and H. Romers ‘Spoorwegarchitectuur in Nederland’.
Very interesting articles are compiled in the book ‘The city and
the railway in Europe’13, made on occasion of the Fifth International
Conference on Urban History (2000, Berlin), during the session ‘The
railway and the city’. Especially the introductive article by Ralf Roth and
Marie Noëlle Polino helped me to focus on relevant issues, convincing
me to undertake further research about the topic.
About the driving forces behind the redevelopment of railway
station areas, it’s interesting to acknowledge the approach of L.
Bertolini and T. Spit in the book ‘Cities on rail, the redevelopment of
railway station areas’ (1998), which is partly a product of research
made at the Utrecht Centre for Urban Research (URU).
Other PhD theses at the TU Delft
Other research projects done at the TU Delft have somehow relations with
my research. First of all it is very logic to name the work of the research
school TRAIL (The Netherlands Research School for Transportation,
Infrastructure and Logistics)14. The mission statement of TRAIL is to
14
 PART 1

educate high-level researchers with different backgrounds in order to

build up and spread new ground breaking interdisciplinary knowledge
in the field of transport, logistics and infrastructures. Although the
interests of this research school tend to be oriented towards very
technical matters, I found some research work partly connected to
the field of my investigation in the series of PhD theses published by
TRAIL. The thesis of S. C van der Spek, for instance, titled ‘Connectors,
the way beyond transferring’ (TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture, 2002)
and addressing the problem of transferring passengers from one
transportation system to another through the so called connectors
buildings/facilities, contains interesting considerations on the way
the railway buildings, and particularly stations, influence their direct
surroundings. Other aspects connected with the complex relationship
between railway buildings and city are treated in the thesis of P. M. J.
Pol, ‘A renaissance of stations, railways and cities’ Delft (TU Delft, Faculty
of Civil Engineering, 2002) and in the one of J. Willems, ‘Bundeling van
infrastructuur’ (TU Delft, Faculty of Civil Engineering, 2001).

Next to TRAIL, there are few PhD theses developed at the TU Delft
worth naming because of their direct involvement with the study of
railways. Just rounded up is the PhD of C. Mulders-Kusumo titled ‘The
space node interaction’ (TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture, 2007), about
the primary role of railway stations and their influence in determining
the development of the surrounding areas. More interesting from
my point of view is the work of R. Dijksterhuis in his PhD thesis
‘Spoorwegtracering en Stedenbouw in Nederland’ Delft (TU Delft, Faculty
of Civil Engineering 1984). Dijksterhuis draws up a very detailed
inventory of all the different railway lines built in The Netherlands
trying to make a link with the urban planning of the Dutch cities.
Another two PhD theses carried out at our Faculty touch the subject
of railways in urban areas. The first developed by F.D. van der Hoeven
is titled ‘RingRing, ondergronds bouwen voor meervoudig ruimtegebruik
boven en langs de Ring in Rotterdam en in Amsterdam’ (TU Delft, Faculty
of Architecture, 2001) and the second is ‘Reweaving UMA, urbanism
mobility architecture’ (TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture, 2004) made
by L. M. Calabrese. Although with different approaches, both these are
dealing with the relation between infrastructures and city.

15
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

Specification of terms and theoretical framework

As I’ve already mentioned before, the architectural perspective on

the railway and the city characterizes my approach to the matter. In
order to specify the terms urban context (that, to simplify, I call city)
and railway, essential for this research, I will make use of some Kevin
Lynch and Aldo Rossi writings about both issues.
The choice of Lynch and Rossi is mainly based on the fact that
their theories about the urban facts, although already forty years old,
are still relevant and widely used as bases for urban studies. Next
to this, the complementary character of their positions makes the
combination of their work rather interesting.
In the book ‘The image of city’ Kevin Lynch investigates the perception
of the city while in Aldo Rossi’s ‘The Architecture of the city’ the main
focus is the construction of the city. Perception and construction
of the city are both very important components to understand the
relationship between railway and city. For the mentioned reasons I
decided to further investigate the basic terms used in my research
using the writings of this two authors.

The first question that arises is: what is the city?

‘Like a piece of architecture, the city is a construction in space, but one of vast
scale, a thing perceived only in the course of long spans of time’15.
‘The city, which is the subject of this book, is to be understood here as
architecture. By architecture I mean not only the visible image of the city and
the sum of its different architectures, but architecture as construction, the
construction of the city over time’16.
‘I will now take up the hypothesis of the city as a man-made object, as a work
of architecture or engineering that grows over time; this is one of the most
substantial hypotheses from which to work’17.

15 Following the definitions of both authors we can summarize that the

Kevin Lynch, The image of city, city could be understood as built environment evolving in the course of
p. 1, Chapter I. time. During the development of my thesis I would like to refer to this
16
definition of the term ‘city’.
Aldo Rossi, The Architecture of the
city, p. 21.
17 The second question is: what we should precisely understand with
Aldo Rossi, The Architecture of the the term ‘railway’?
city, p. 34.

16
 PART 1

The answer to the second question doesn’t come, like the first one,
straightforwardly out of Kevin Lynch’s or Aldo Rossi’s writings. Despite
this fact it is possible, in my opinion, to understand how both authors
deal with it and what kind of importance they give to the presence of
the railway in the city.
In the book ‘The image of city’ Kevin Lynch talks about the elements on
which is based the perception of the city.

‘The contents of the city images so far studied, which are referable to physical
forms, can conveniently be classified into five types of elements: paths, edges,
districts, nodes and landmarks. …These elements may be defined as follows:
1. Paths. Paths are the channels along which the observer customarily,
occasionally, or potentially moves. They may be streets, walkways, transit
lines, canals, railroads’18.

Lynch’s text at this point continues with the definitions of the other
four elements. Often those elements are interrelated with each other
as they overlap and cross one another.
Resuming we could say that the railway (as one of the paths) is a
physically perceptible object along which the city can be observed.

Next to it, in the book ‘The Architecture of the city’ Aldo Rossi says:

‘To define primary elements is by no means easy. When we study a city, we

find that the urban whole tends to be divided according to three principal
functions: housing, fixed activities and circulation. “Fixed activities” include
stores, public and commercial buildings, universities, hospitals and school. In
addition, the urban literature also speaks of urban equipment, urban standards,
services and infrastructures. To simplify matters I will consider fixed activities
as included within primary elements’19.

The railway is an infrastructure, one of the fixed activities as Rossi

mentions. As such it is also a primary element, an element, following
Rossi,
18
Kevin Lynch, The image of city,
‘...capable of accelerating the process of urbanization in a city, and they also
p. 46-47, Chapter III.
characterize the processes of spatial transformation in an area larger than the 19
city. Often they act as catalysts’20. Aldo Rossi, The Architecture of the
city, p. 86.

17

20
Aldo Rossi, The Architecture of the
city, p. 87.
21
Aldo Rossi, I problemi metodologici
della ricerca urbana, in Scritti scelti
sull’architettura e la città, 1975, p.
280-281.
22
Translated in English: ‘…I suppose
some researchers are referring
to these elements when they talk
about structures or infrastructures
but because on this term, in the
framework of this study, nobody
can provide a logical justification, I
would prefer not to use it’.
23
Afterwords translated in The
Architecture of the city.
24
See also note 19.
Railway s i n the ur b an contex t
Using the writings of both authors so far, I could come to the following
formulation: the architecture of the railway could be understood as
the making of the entire range of buildings forming the physical body
of the railway yard in the city, all of them being part of a primary
element.
Going a bit further I would like at this point to refer to other writings
on this matter. In one of his previous articles ‘I problemi metodologici
della ricerca urbana’, published afterwards in the book ’Scritti scelti
sull’architettura e la città’21, Aldo Rossi names three propositions as
the fundamental bases for his method in urban research. The first
proposition regards the fact that every development of the city is linked
with the factor time. The spatial continuity of the city is the second
one. The third and last proposition concerns elements of particular
nature that have the power to delay or accelerate the urban process.
‘…Suppongo che alcuni studiosi si riferiscano a questi elementi quando
parlano di strutture o infrastrutture ma poiché di questo termine, in questa
sede, non ci è mai stata offerta nessuna giustificazione logica io preferirei non
usarlo’22.
At this point of his article (dated 1965), Aldo Rossi, without
discussing it much further, refers to Kevin Lynch’s fixed activities.
Subsequently, in ‘L’architettura della città’23 (1966), although he
admits the importance of (among others) infrastructure as primary
element for the city24, Aldo Rossi describes the role of primary
elements in the transformation processes of the city mainly using
monuments (one of the primary elements). In both writings Aldo Rossi
does not touch the theme of infrastructure extensively.
Considering the fact that railways are, as primary elements, the
catalysts of developments in the city, the scope of my approach is to
analyze their dynamics in the urban context in terms of architecture.
Like already mentioned before, I look at the ‘project of architecture’ as
an important device to understand the transformations of the city due
to its interrelations with the railroad.
To be more explicit about this concept I will now explain what I
mean by ‘project of architecture’. Previously in this text, in the seventh
note to be precise, I’ve quoted a specific part of an essay of Jasper
Cepl about the influence of Oswald Mathias Ungers on the work of
18
 PART 1

Hans Kollhoff. It is widely known that in his long career as architect and
theorist Ungers has been particularly keen on the correct understanding
of his main architectural ideas through his different projects. In his
book ‘Architecture comme thème’, Ungers explains his opinions about
the idea of architecture embraced by the Bauhaus. As Ungers sets out,
in the doctrine of the Bauhaus architecture is entirely determined by
the functions, by the technology and by the goals to which architecture
has to comply to25. Quoting the words of Gropius “….If aiming at a
chair, a building, a city or a regional plan, the way to approach the
project has to be identical”26, Ungers expresses his disagreement with
this reduction of architecture to an element of a general process of
production. Ungers believes that architecture is a richer form of art
and that the functional need, although very important, is only one
of the aspects to be solved by the project. According to Ungers it is
extremely important to invent and define a theme in every project of
architecture. The most important task of the architect must be not the
one of accomplishing the goals from the mere functional point of view;
instead, he should work on the possibility to translate the functional
necessities into an important theme for the elaboration of the project.
In this way researching a theme is the condition as well as the
content of the project of architecture. Therefore the theme allows the
transformation of the pragmatic reality of the project (the functional
necessity) and makes possible its connection with the metaphysic
world of ideas, with life and society. The project of architecture is
in this respect not only a solution for the given programme but also
the occasion to work on the dialectic interconnections between an
intervention and its physics or metaphysics surroundings.

Research hypotheses

The architectural perspective from which the relationship between

railway and city will be treated needs, particularly in part five of this
thesis, the use of basic assumptions. Therefore the acceptance of the 25
O.M. Ungers, introduction to the
following two hypotheses is fundamental:
book Architecture comme thème,
p.9.
1st research hypothesis: 26
The railway yard can be read as a sequence of buildings, that are O.M. Ungers quotes Gropius in the
influencing the development and the form of the surrounding urban same text, see note 25.

19

27
In this article, Rossi explains that
all events that have taken place
in a.. ..city, or a specific part of
the city, have a common nature
and that there are no fundamental
interruptions in this series of
elements that are situated in the
same city (or a part thereof). ‘I
problemi metodologici della ricerca
urbana’ (Methodological issues in
urban research), was included in
the compilation: La formazione del
concetto di tipologia edilizia. The
article was also published in: Aldo
Rossi, Scritti scelti sull’architettura e
la città, p. 278.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
spaces. Following this assumption, stations but also viaducts, bridges
etc. could be considered as particular kinds of buildings.
Using this first hypothesis I would like to stress that the realization
of the railway in whatever setting, but especially in the setting of the
city, is a theme of architecture. All the buildings constituting the
railway are part of the built environment of the city and, as such,
are interacting with it. This fact is important in terms of perception
of the city (‘The image of city’ of Kevin Lynch) as well as in terms of
construction of it (‘The Architecture of the city’ of Aldo Rossi).
2nd research hypothesis:
In order to study the relationship between the railway and the city,
the concept of continuity of the urban spaces will be used as basic
assumption (as Aldo Rossi mentions in ‘I problemi metodologici della
ricerca urbana’27).
Accepting this second proposition means that we could consider
all the facts that occurred in a city, or in a certain part of it, have a
homogenous nature. As Aldo Rossi says, we could suppose that there
are no fundamental breaks in the series of elements located in the
same city (or part of it).
Following this assumption the railway yard could then be seen as
an element of transition and not necessarily as a barrier.
Motivations
External motivations
The current relevance of the theme is certainly the most important
motivation. In many European countries new railway (high-speed)
networks are under construction. Many questions arise: what kind of
impact will they have on the existing cities? What can we learn from the
previous experiences and apply in the future?
In addition, the relationship between the railway and the city
is a very interesting matter if considered through the projects of
architecture. It can be analysed and discussed on different scale levels:
from the scale of the city until the scale of the building.
Another motivation is found during the work in the MSc3 & 4 Urban
Architecture/Hybrid Buildings at the Faculty of Architecture of Delft.
I came across the problem of the railway and its presence in the city
20
 PART 1

as a physical barrier. The project area we were studying was strongly

influenced by the railway yard. How to deal with this problem, from
different points of view, was one of our concerns. For this reason there
was a need to create a research framework and use it as background
for the design studies.

Personal motivations
My personal fascination for the railroad and its buildings goes back
in time. It reminds me of my childhood, when I daily used to play just
beside a railway. That railway was part of my daily life just as much
as the narrow street serving the front door of the apartment building
where I used to live.
Next to my childhood memories, personally speaking I think this
research should be seen also as an attempt to link the teaching work
(the work that we usually do in design studios together with students)
with the aims of the running research programme at the Faculty of
Architecture of the TU Delft. I believe this should be one of the most
essential goals of making research. Therefore I would be very grateful
if the results of this work could be (partly) used as a base for further
research in design projects.

21
 PART 2

22
The railroads in the Dutch city

Introduction

The relationship between the mutations of the countryside, the

development of the cities and the implementation of the transportation
network represent a unique issue for the low lands in the west of
The Netherlands. In the past 150 years this part of the country has
changed drastically, undergoing a process of transformation without
precedent. A comparison between the geographical maps of 1850 and
2000 will show not only the mutations of the cities but also the evident
changes of the territory.
Since a few decades the term Randstad28 is widely used referring
to the agglomeration of cities in the west of The Netherlands. Peculiar
of the Randstad is its form, composed by a sequence of cities
developing more or less into a circle. Being the most prosperous part
of the country, the Randstad became also a socio-economical model.
This is the reason why the planning of its territory is one of the most
relevant matters from a political point of view.

Development and morphology of this region are determined by several

factors. To my opinion a key issue is the relationship between geography,
morphology of its territory and the transportation systems. Especially
the switch from waterways to railways as means of transportation
and, as a consequence of it, the update of infrastructures, represents
a fundamental step in the morphological determination of the
Randstad as we know it today. Particularly the first Dutch railway, the
one connecting Amsterdam to Haarlem, plays a key role in all this. It
traces the contours of the Randstad and influences the development
of the Dutch city. 28
See note 5.

23

29
H. Engel, Randstad Holland in kaart,
article in OverHolland 2, 2005.
30
W. van den Broeke makes a
suggestion for the classification
of the first 100 years of Dutch
railways into four periods. See also
his article, Het spoor terug gevolgd.
De eerste honderd jaar (1839-1939),
in J.A. Faber, Het spoor, 150
jaar spoorwegen in Nederland.
Amsterdam, 1989, p. 11-12.
31
On August 18th 1860 the so called
S.45 railway law was issued,
favouring the construction of
railways by the state. See also J.
H. Jonckers Nieboer, Geschiedenis
der Nederlandse Spoorwegen
1832-1938, p.97.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
In his article ‘Randstad Holland in kaart’29 Henk Engel schematizes the
process of urbanization of the Randstad in four phases, resuming the
most relevant data into four maps: 1850, 1940, 1970 and 2000. The
choice for these four periods allows a straightforward comprehension
of a range of different issues at first glance. Henk Engel underlines in
his article that the choice for four ‘morphological periods’ is based
on the kinds of urban fabric characterizing the Dutch city. The ‘canal
town’ is typical up to 1850, the ‘town of streets and building blocks’
for the period between 1850 and 1940, the ‘open town with green
belts and built-up areas’ for the time span between 1940 and 1970
and finally the ‘cluster city’ for the period after 1970.
It is not a coincidence that the same time span of the maps
embraces also the full development of railroads in the Dutch cities, with
the only exception of not showing the situation before the construction
of the first railway lines (1839-1850). In addition, considering the issue
of infrastructures in a more detailed way, a closer look at the maps will
show that the time span between 1850 and 1940 is actually too long
and therefore it would be more sensible to put another map in between
in order to point out some important developments. In this respect
Henk Engel too advises to introduce another date in between, the year
1910. Adding the map of 1910 would mean taking into account the
great development of infrastructures in the second part of the XIXth
century and the consequential development of the cities regulated by
the ‘Woningwet’ (Housing law) of 1901.
The construction and the implementation of infrastructures, and
particularly of railway lines, need special attention in the Dutch case.
The transportation on water, up to the end of the eighteenth century
essential means of communication, was weakened in his leading role
especially after the advent of railroads. This fact has a considerable
impact on the way the Dutch cities would develop after the first half of
the nineteenth century.
W. van den Broeke made an attempt to schematize in periods
the evolution of railways in The Netherlands following the way
railway companies operated30. As he suggests, we can classify the
development of Dutch railways into four time spans. The first is
characterized by the private construction and exploitation of railways
and runs up to 1860, when the railway law S45 was issued31. Between
1860 and 1890 the railroads are mainly realized by the state while
24
2 3
Map of the Randstad year 2000. Map of the Randstad year 1850.

4
Geomorphological map of The Netherlands. The
Randstad, in the western side of the country, is
located under the sea level.

32
For extensive information about
the relationship between the
geomorphology of The Netherlands
and the transportation systems
up to the nineteenth century see
J. de Vries, Barges & Capitalism.
Passenger transportation in the Dutch
Economy (1632-1839), 1981.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
they are runned by private companies. After 1890 several contracts
will be signed between state and railway companies, resulting in a
phase of concentration of activities and competition. This period will
be actually ended by the 1917 agreement between HIJSM (a private
railway company) and SS (the state railway company). In the fourth
phase, between 1917 and 1939, the two railway giants work together.
After 1939, and this would probably be the last and current phase, the
Dutch railways are functioning as N.V. Nederlandse Spoorwegen, the
only remaining railway company set up after the reorganization law
issued in the same year.
This part of the research aims to offer a general insight into the
phenomenon of railroads in the Netherlands with special attention
to urban planning and architecture aspects. Starting with the means
of transportation before the construction of railways and ending
with some considerations about the contemporary developments,
in the following texts I will deal with the most relevant issues in a
chronological order.
The low lands: territory and transport until the first decades of the
nineteenth century
The relationship between the organization of territory and the
development of cities and landscapes is quite exceptional in The
Netherlands if compared to the rest of Europe. The most particular
aspect is certainly the continuous effort of claiming land and protecting
it from the water. In order to comprehend this territory it’s necessary
to consider the geomorphologic and historical context of the Rhine
delta32.
Until 1500 the central part of the country, the one that we could
identify today as the Randstad, it nothing more than an extended
swampy area in which flat-bottomed boats are the only way to move.
The few cities were erected mainly on sand tops and surrounded by
dikes, protecting them from the water as well as enemies. Maps of
that time show big lakes, rivers and other watercourses. Since the
Middle age a system of reasonably developed canals characterizes the
territory in question, ordering its landscape and cities. On the contrary
there are only few traces of roads.
26
5
Birth-eye view of Amsterdam in the second
half of the sixteenth century. Author drawing:
Cornelis Anthonisz.
6
The ‘trekschuit’, the typical Dutch towed barge
for the transportation of passengers.
 PART 2

The canals, fundamental in the organization of the Dutch cities and

far more important than roads, were widely used for transport inside
the city. First built as important drainage facilities, by the year 1600
the canals fulfilled also an important role in passenger transportation
outside the cities. We cannot say that it was a perfect network of
transportation (certainly it was not for goods), but a multiple system
of barges ensured the links between the economic centres of the west
Netherlands.
One of the historical maps of Amsterdam33 also clearly shows the
strong relationship with the water. The layout of the city is organized
by a efficient net of canals enclosed in the system of fortifications. The
presence of many boats confirms the fact that transportation in the
city took place mainly on water.

Road transport played no role until 180034. The condition of roads

was very poor up to the Napoleonic time. In fact only during the first
decades of the 1800s a number of well-paved highways were built in
order to accommodate the increasing traffic of coaches and wagons.
In this period water transportation also transformed a lot. Existing
navigable canals were improved and new ones were built offering for
the first time, in combination with the new highways on the ground, an
integrated transport network. The most important work of this period
is certainly the realization of the North Holland Channel (1824), which
allowed a direct connection from the harbour of Amsterdam to the 33
North Sea avoiding the circumnavigation of the inner sea35. In the See also the image of the birth-eye
mean time also the port of Rotterdam was improved and enlarged view of Amsterdam in the second
quite a bit, offering a serious competition to the one of Amsterdam half of the sixteenth century made

and Antwerp in Belgium. In terms of transport one of the biggest by Cornelis Anthonisz.
34
issues of that time was creating a better and quicker connection with
As Henk Schmal explains in his
the Rhineland region of Germany. This industrialized area was growing article Cities ans railways in The
rapidly and needed transportation of goods to and from the North Netherlands between 1830 and
Sea. 1860, published in the book R.
Roth & M. N. Polino, The City and
The industrial revolution further encouraged studies about steam power. the Railway in Europe, 2003, p.
29-44.
The steam engine was developed at the end of the eighteenth century
35
for several purposes and used in road and water transportation. The
The so called Zuiderzee.
first application of steam power for locomotives took place in 1804. 36
In this year the Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick constructed the Source: J. Simmons, The making of
first locomotive able to run on tracks36. This experiment, although British Railways, p.3.

29

37
The H.IJ.S.M. (Hollandsche Ijzeren
Spoorweg Maatschappij), Dutch
Railway Company, gets the permit
for the construction of the oldest
railway line in the Netherlands,
see also J. H. Jonckers Nieboer,
Geschiedenis der Nederlandse
Spoorwegen 1832-1938, 1938,
p.337-342.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
successful, showed the importance of finding the right balance between
the weight of the locomotive and the thickness of the tracks. Based
on the extensive studies of George Stephenson, the first locomotive
could be improved into a pivotal machine. In 1822 George Stephenson
organized a successful demonstration for Edward Pease, at that time
involved with the planning of the first official railroad from Stockton to
Darlington. The main line of this railroad was over 40 kilometres long
and was planned to transport both passengers and goods. The opening
of the Stockton & Darlington railroad was held on September 27th
1825 and a locomotive built by George Stephenson pulled the train
that was carrying only passengers. Next to the locomotive also horses
and stationary engines pulled the train in some part of the railroads.
George Stephenson’s machine was a great success and marked the
beginning of a new era for the world.
The first railway and the shaping of the Randstad
Despite the great success of the locomotive and the publicity in the
media all over the world, in terms of realization the railway remained
an English phenomenon up to 1830, when in France a section of the
St. Étienne and Lyon line was opened. In this period almost every
European country, having been convinced by the advantages of the
train, was busy developing plans for railroads. The actual construction
of a railroad was in fact a difficult matter. Once its section was
established, the building of a railway line required many bureaucratic
permissions, a clear plan for the expropriation of land and, last but
not least, a huge amount of money. For these reasons the development
of railway lines took generally more time than foreseen.
Projects for railroads in Holland were discussed since 1830 but
a general lack of interest by the national politicians caused extra
delay in the realization of the first railway line. Local politicians and
Chambers of Commerce were more interested in the possibilities the
railways offered for transporting goods. Introducing the railroad in
the Netherlands was not an easy task. From an economical point of
view there were several uncertainties. The investors of the H.IJ.S.M37,
who were about to finance the first railway line of the country, had to
compete with the existing mass transportation system on the water.
30
 PART 2

7 (6 maps)
Schemes showing the development of the Dutch railway network. From 1840 to 1900:
in green the railroads of the HIJSM (Hollands Ijzeren Spoorweg Maatschappij); in red
the one of the NRS (Nederlandse Rhijnspoorweg Maatschappij); in white the railroads
of the SS (Staatsspoorwegen); in other colors other minor railway companies.
From 1940 to 1980 the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) is the only company: in red the
electrified railroads, in black the other ones.

38
The typical Dutch barge towed
along canals.
39
Source: J. de Vries, Barges &
Capitalism. Passenger transportation
in the Dutch Economy (1632-1839),
1981, p. 204-205.
40
In 1839 the railway track
actually started in the council
of Sloten and was functioning
by a temporary station named
‘d’Een Honderd Roe’, see also H.
Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur in
Nederland, 2000, p. 14. The line
was extended only in 1841 until
de Haarlemmerpoort, see also A.
Doedens, L. Mulder, Een spoor van
verandering, 1989, p.21.
41
The difference between the third
class railway fare (45 cents in
1850) and the trekschuit (30 cents
in 1850) was still a reason for
passengers to keep travelling on the
water, especially in bad economical
times. In 1851, a year of recession,
the HIJSM lost 3% of passengers
on this route; the two trekschuiten
transported 32.877 passengers,
3000 more than in 1850 holding
11% of the market. For the periods
1840-1842 and 1848-1853 in
the book of J. de Vries, Barges &
Capitalism. Passenger transportation
in the Dutch Economy (1632-1839),
p. 208-209, there are interesting
tables about the railroad social
saving.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
For more than two hundred years the economy of the country relied
on an extensive network of canals where, beside the transport of
goods, cheap passengers services were widely offered. Although the
transportation on water lost customers to the emerging coach services
on the road, it remained the most important means of transportation
in the first half of the nineteen century.
The way the first railroads approached the Dutch cities is characterized
by different starting and end points of the railway tracks. The relatively
small cities were all walled and the railway lines ended near the city
gates.
Keeping the railroads always outside the city had the advantage
that there was no direct confrontation between the historical city and
the new means of transportation.
The first railway of The Netherlands was opened between
Amsterdam and Haarlem on September 20th 1839, fourteen years
after the Stockton & Darlington line. Just few months before its
official opening, a pamphlet was printed and handed out in both
cities showing an ideal conversation between the trekschuit38 and the
train39. The trekschuit was manifesting his pride in being reliable for
centuries and did not have the intention to bow to the train. In fact
the Dutch railway entrepreneurs really feared the competition with the
trekschuit and did not take any success for granted. On the other hand
the existence of a network of canals gave a considerable advantage to
the railway investors, providing information about the route and the
volume of traffic on it. Therefore it is not a coincidence that the first
Dutch railroads are placed parallel to the canals. In these areas the
expropriation of the land was often easier and the layout of the railway
line could be kept as straight as possible in order to save funds.
According to these principles the first Dutch railroad was also
positioned parallel to the existing canal connecting Amsterdam
to Haarlem. A station was situated at the two ends of the track,
Willemspoort in Amsterdam40 and Amsterdamsche Poort in Haarlem,
both simultaneously working as terminus station and gate to the city.
After two hundred years of service the quicker train marks the decline
of the link by hourly barges between the two cities41.
While the popularity of the train slowly grew, especially for the transport
of passengers, investors and government in Holland observed the
32
8
The opening of the first Dutch railway line
in Haarlem. September 1839. Author drawing:
unknown.
9
Scheme showing three kinds of stations. The one on the left is an average passing through station. On the right it is a terminus
station while the one in the middle it is a combination of both. The arrows are suggesting the flow of passengers.

10
11
Amsterdam, Willemspoort station, 1842.
Amsterdam, situation of Willemspoort
station near the Haarlemmerpoort.

12, 13
Rotterdam, Delftschepoort
station, 1847.
14 15
Amsterdam, Willemspoort station, 1842. Amsterdam, Willemspoort station, 1842.

35
16 a b c d
The approach of the first railway lines to the
Dutch cities. Hand sketches made by the author.
17
Map published in 1745 by Melchior Bolstra. It is
one of the first plans for the reclamation of
land of the Haarlemmermeer polder. The canal
(trekvaart) between Haarlem and Amsterdam is
entirely visible.

42
Haarlem expanded enormously and
from 1640 the city works on an
extension plan. Salomon de Braey
designs in 1643 a plan for the
extension of the entire city. Only a
part of his design will be used in
1671 for the actual extension of
Haarlem, called also Nieuwstad.
But this part of the city, due to
a persistent economical crisis,
remained unexpectedly empty for
many years. Until 1800 only few
parcels of the Nieuwstad were
developed, the rest was still unsold.
43
The railway line between
Amsterdam and Rotterdam is
known as the ‘Oude lijn’, the old
line. The company owning the line
was de H.IJ.S.M.
44
See also W. van der Ham, Tot
gerief van de reiziger. Vier eeuwen
Amsterdam-Haarlem, 1989.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
developments in Belgium with attention, particularly in and around
Antwerp. The construction of a rail connection between the port of
Antwerp and the Rhineland region represented a major threat for the
economy of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. A good rail link between
Amsterdam and Rotterdam and further to Utrecht, Arnhem and the
Rhineland became a necessity. The decision to extend the first railroad
through Haarlem to Leiden, with the intention to connect Amsterdam
to Rotterdam, came quickly. In 1842 the railway reached the city of
Leiden traversing the inner city of Haarlem. From this moment on
the city of Haarlem and its development are strongly influenced by
the presence of a railroad constructed on street level. The railroad
passed through the seventeenth century extension of the fortified
city, the so-called Nieuwstad42. The persistent economical recession
effected the investments in the city and, consequentially, slowed down
the development of parcels in the Nieuwstad. Therefore everybody
in the city had great expectations of the extension of the railroad,
particularly in offering new business opportunities.
The increase of business took place but the city very soon suffered
of pollution and traffic congestion due to the train. Next to a new
station, a drawbridge crossing the river Spaarne (a fundamental
waterway in the city) and a series of viaducts were needed. The
municipality of Haarlem had no funds to finance this and the railroad
remained untouched at ground level until about 1900.
Finally in 1847 the railway to Rotterdam was ready, ending on the north
of the city at the Delftsche Poort station43 and following also in this
case the main lines of the canals. In fact we could say that with this
railroad the first half of the ideal circle that forms the current Randstad
is concluded. We must note that the course of history would have
been different if the reclamation of the land of the Haarlemmermeer
polder (1849-1852) was completed some years earlier44. A straight
railway line between Amsterdam and Rotterdam, traced through this
polder, would have shortened the distance quite a bit. This easier and
cheaper variant would have probably also influenced the Randstad as
a whole, favouring the development and growth of cities in its central
part instead of its borders.
Rotterdam, like Amsterdam, gets a terminus stations outside the
city walls. These two cities kept these terminus stations for a long time
generating problems for the creation of a effective railway network.
38
 PART 2

Furthermore there were no obstacles for the line between Amsterdam

and Rotterdam. At the cities of Leiden and The Hague the railway
remained outside the fortifications while in Delft it was placed right on
the obsolete city walls. In the meanwhile the ‘Rhine railway’ was also
under construction45. Starting at the terminus station of Weesperpoort
in Amsterdam this railway line followed more or less the line of the
Vecht46 until the city of Utrecht where the station was realized just
outside the city walls.

In 1855 the railway circle is finally done, laying out the form of what
we would nowadays call the Randstad. Although the lines of the
waterways were already there, the recognizable railway lines marked
its contours in a stronger way. The 255 kilometres of railroads linked
both Amsterdam and Rotterdam with Utrecht and Arnhem47, close
to the German border. To give an idea of how slow the construction
of railroads was in the Netherlands, it may be enough notice that
by that time Belgium had already a network five times longer that
connected with the German Rhineland. The reasons may be found in
the economic stagnation and the low return of profit generated by the
first investments in the railroad business. Probably also the strong
competition of the trekschuit traffic played an important role in all this.
Between 1850 and 1870, although locally some services were ended,
the transportation of passengers on water kept the biggest share of
the market. Nevertheless the disappearance of the trekschuit was only
delayed.

Railway companies and stations

L.J.J. Serrurier and R. Chevalier, two businessmen from Amsterdam, 45

together with the civil engineer W.C. Brade, officially founded the The construction of this railway line
first Dutch railway company, the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg was completed in 1843.
Maatschappij (HIJSM) on August 8th 1837. While it is certain that the 46
actual project for the railway line between Amsterdam and Haarlem Vecht is the name of an important
watercourse.
comes from the hand of Brade, it is still not hundred percent sure
47
who was the designer of the two stations in Haarlem and Amsterdam-
The N.R.S. (Nederlandsche
Willemspoort. Although C. Outshoorn (1810-1875) is often named, for Rhijnspoorweg Maatschappij),
these two stations as well as for the one in Leiden (1842) and The Dutch Rhine Railway Company, is
Hague (1843), the most sources are naming F.W. Conrad jr. (1800-1870) responsible for the two lines.

39

48
The station of Rotterdam at
the Delfschepoort (Delft gate)
was designed by C. Outshoorn
(1810-1875).
49
The N.R.S. is set up with the
financial resources of English
investors, as mentioned by R.
Dijksterhuis, Spoorwegtracering
en Stedenbouw in Nederland. PhD
research TU Delft 1984, p. 6.
50
This temporary station was
constructed in wood and designed
by J. Enschedé.
51
The project of this building date
1862 and the designer is G.
Somers Clarke; see also H. Romers,
Spoorwegarchitectuur in Nederland,
2000, p. 25.
52
Idem, p. 25-40.
53
On August 18th 1860 the ‘railway
ministry’, supported by the
government van Hall-van Heemstra,
issues the so called S.45 railway
law, see also J. H. Jonckers Nieboer
Geschiedenis der Nederlandse
Spoorwegen 1832-1938, 1938,
p.97.
54
In 1860 the S.S. run the following
lines: Arnhem-Zutphen-Deventer-
Zwolle-Leeuwarden, Harlingen-
Leeuwarden-Groningen-German
border, Maastricht-Venlo-Helmond-
Eindhoven-Boxtel-Tilburg-Breda,
Roosendaal-Vlissingen and
Rotterdam-Breda. See also A.
Doedens, L. Mulder, Een spoor van
verandering, 1989, p.12.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
as the designer. Conrad jr. studied at the Royal Engineers School
(Genieschool) of Delft and worked as engineer for the Department of
Buildings and Roads (Waterstaat) in The Hague. By 1847 the HIJSM
ran the complete ‘old line’ from Amsterdam, via Leiden and The Hague,
to Rotterdam48.
The second Dutch railway line, the one connecting Amsterdam with
Utrecht (1843) and Arnhem, was commissioned and constructed by
the State. The Nederlandse Rhijnspoorweg Maatschappij (N.R.S.)49,
established in 1845, took over the control of this line from the State.
In the same year the N.R.S. began the realization of a railway link
between Amsterdam-Weesperpoort and the harbour of the city. In
1855 the N.R.S also got the permission to build a railway link between
Utrecht and Rotterdam ending at the temporary station of Rotterdam-
Maas I50, the second terminus station in the city. Although in general
the stations of the N.R.S. are not interesting in terms of architecture,
the direction of the company, heavily influenced by the English railway
practice, developed a plan for a huge station in combination with a
hotel in Rotterdam51. This building, never constructed, would have
been the first mixed used railway building in the country. The N.R.S.
also had its own station designer, A.W. van Erkel (1839-1877) who
worked on the stations of Arnhem (1867), Den Haag (1868), Gouda
(1868), Rotterdam-Maas II (1875) and other minor stations of the
company52. It took several years before the N.R.S. joined the German
railway network; this delay was mainly due to the difference in width of
the tracks. The line between Arnhem and Emmerich opened in 1856.
Another railway company, the German Aken-Maastrichtse Spoorweg
Maatschappij (AMS), established in 1845, operated the line between
Maastricht and Aachen by 1856.
Despite the activity of these private railway companies, the Dutch
railway network was not growing rapidly. For this reason the State
took the initiative of building several new railway lines and offered the
activity to private investors. In 1860, promoted by the minister van
Hall, the well known railway law S.45 was issued53. A few days later a
commission was set up and charged with the design and construction
of the railway projects already approved by the minister. Eight different
building sites started simultaneously. The operation of the new railway
lines54 went to the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen
(S.S.), established in 1863 by a number of Dutch investors mainly
40
18 a b c
From top to bottom, the
standard designs for the
stations of the first, second
and third class.
19
Project of a combination of station and hotel in Rotterdam made by G. Somers Clarke in
1862.

20
From top to bottom, the
standard designs for
the stations of fourth
and fifth class.
21
Map showing the existing railways (black
and white broken line) and the project for
the new connections from Arnhem (1859).
 23
Photograph of a section of the
‘Binnenrotte’ viaduct in Rotterdam (1880).

22
Proposal of the SS (Staatsspoorwegen) for
the railway junction in Rotterdam (1867).
 PART 2

from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. All railway lines built by the State
after 1860 were run by the S.S.55 with the only exception of the new
line Amsterdam-Zaandam-Nieuwdiep (Den Helder)56 that, starting
from 1863, was operated by the H.IJ.S.M.
With the law of 1860 the building of stations also came under
the responsibility of the State. Considering the number of new
railways that had to be realized, the ministry of transport decided to
standardize the building of stations into five classes. A station of the
first class would be the biggest while one of the fifth class would have
the size of a villa. The class would be chosen according to the number
of inhabitants of the city in question. Among the stations built by the
State are of the first class only the one in Zwolle (1868), designed by 55
N.J.Kamperdijk, and the one in Dordrecht (1870), while the ones in The S.S. also runs two lines ending
Zutphen, Hengelo, Meppel, Enschede and Deventer are of the second beyond the Dutch border, the
class. The architecture of the stations is mainly characterized by a Eindhoven-Luik and the Arnhem-
Zutphen-Hengelo-Bentheim-
neo-classical approach, very common in the practice of those years.
Salzbergen.
The actual design of the standardized stations came straight from the
56
Department of Buildings and Roads (Waterstaat) in The Hague57. Quite For detailed information about
particular about the standardized stations was that local architects the concession of this railway
could work out specific details. line see J. H. Jonckers Nieboer,
Geschiedenis der Nederlandse
Spoorwegen 1832-1938, 1938,
In the years between 1865 and 1890 the S.S., although initially
p.99-101. The majority of the
struggling with low financial returns, grew to be the biggest and most
stations of this railway line were
powerful railway company of the country. The constantly increasing designed by A.L. van Gendt
freight transportation consolidates the financial position of the S.S. (1835-1901), a quite well known
and only the H.IJ.S.M. seems to be able to compete with it. In these architect in that time, especially for
years the Dutch railway network is further expanding; the law of his design for utilitarian buildings.

1874 about the decontrol of the fortifications and the subsequent See also J. W. van Dal, Architectuur
langs de rails. Overzicht van de
demolition of the city walls offers new chances for the planning of new
stationsarchitectuur in Nederland,
railways. In addition, the dismantling of the fortifications opens the 1981, p. 44-47.
way to the development of stronger links between the station and the 57
railway area, usually placed outside the walls, with the historical city It is not completely sure but
centre. There is now the possibility of exploiting the area where the the standard design of stations
fortifications were standing to work out the idea of a city boulevard could come from the hand of
N.J.Kamperdijk. For accurate
with visual connection towards the station. The districts developed
information about the five classes
between the railway area and the historical city are also getting more
of stations see also J. W. van
integrated into the urban texture. Dal, Architectuur langs de rails.
Overzicht van de stationsarchitectuur
Next to the H.IJ.S.M. and S.S., the two big companies, around 1890 in Nederland, 1981, p. 21-29.

45
24
Map of Amsterdam in 1866. Left, on the top,
the Willemspoort station, the starting point
of the railway to Haarlem. Right, on the
bottom, the beginning of the line to Utrecht
and the position of the Weesperpoort
station.

25
Photograph of Amsterdam Central Station.
 PART 2

there are three smaller ones active in the country: the N.R.S., the
Nederlandsche Centraal Spoorwegmaatschappij58 and the Noord-
Brabantsch-Duitsche Spoorweg Maatschappij59. Some other railway
and tram companies were also operating local services. In 1890 the
State took over the weakened N.R.S. giving the operation of its lines
to the S.S. The competition on the railway market was reduced to only
S.S. and H.IJ.S.M. At the end of the nineteenth century both were very
active in taking over the activity of smaller local railways. The H.IJ.S.M.
is the important company controlling most of the railways in the west
of the country while the S.S. expanded his activities to the rest of the
Dutch network.

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century the construction of

stations, especially for the most important cities, becomes an
important architectural issue. Stations are more and more getting a
vital function in the cities. They became the gateway to and from the
city in which the integration of two very different kind of traffic had to
take place: the traffic space of the city, and that of the railroad. This 58
dual character was also translated in the architecture of the station: the This company was exploiting the
facade towards the city was often a separate assignment if comparing local railways between Den Dolder-
with the other side bordering the steel and glass construction covering Baarn, Nijkerk-Ede and Bilthoven-
Zeist.
the tracks60.
59
One of the lines controlled by this
Nevertheless, although the main Dutch railway companies all company was the Boxtel-Goch-
had specialized designers for stations, we hardly see any great or Wezel.
innovative design for stations until the building of the Central Station 60
of Amsterdam. The critical Dutch saying of ‘Het is waterstaat wat-er- See also W. Schivelbusch, The

staat’61 is very illustrative of a time in which the State was taking care Railway Journey, the industrialization
of time and space in the 19th century,
not only of railways and stations but also of churches and other public
1986, p. 171-177.
buildings. 61
The situation of Amsterdam was different. The planned World Fair A sensible English translation
of 1883 and the projects for the Rijksmuseum and the new Central would be ‘Whatever is there is
Station formed the occasion to put Amsterdam clearly on the European from the State’, although in Dutch
map. In this respect is the commission given to P.J.H. Cuypers as chief ‘Waterstaat’ is the ‘Department
of Buildings and Roads’ and ‘wat-
architect for the Central Station of Amsterdam an exception to the
er-staat’ means ‘what is there’,
rules of practice and simultaneously a strong admission of the station
see also J. W. van Dal, Architectuur
being an important public building for the city. langs de rails. Overzicht van de
stationsarchitectuur in Nederland,
1981, p. 22.

47

62
On January 1st 1936 most part
of the Haarlemmermeerlijnen was
already closed.
63
The NCS, a railway company that
still exists although incorporated
first by the SS and after by NS,
gets the operation of these
railways: Den Dolder-Baarn, De
Bilt-Zeist. Another company, called
De Veluwe, opens the line between
Ede and Nijkerk. Source: P. Saal,
F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations,
1983, p. 60.
64
The ZHESM (Zuid-Hollandsche
Electrische Spoorweg-
Maatschappij) opens in 1908 the
railway connecting Rotterdam
Hofplein with Scheveningen,
passing by Wassenaar. This line,
ending at the famous Kurhaus in
Scheveningen, is the first railway
line electric powered in Holland.
Idem p. 61.
65
Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The
Hague, Utrecht and Groningen
are the first Dutch cities where in
the Uitbreidingsplan the problem
of reorganizing the railways is
extensively considered.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
The twentieth century and the Dutch railroads
The period between 1890 and the First World War is characterized by
a substantial development of the network with the realizations of local
railways, particularly in the northern and the southern provinces of the
country. Between 1912 and 1918 local railways are also built in the
central part of the Randstad. The so-called Haarlemmermeerlijnen were
made to connect Haarlem, Nieuwersluis and Alphen a/d Rijn with the
existing railway network and had their own terminals in Amsterdam and
Leiden. These lines had no great fortune and their operation ended very
soon62. Other local railways were built around Utrecht63, Maastricht,
Rotterdam and The Hague64. This enlargement of the railway network
with a number of local railways was not an unpredicted phenomenon
but a planned policy promoting another development: the commuter
train. From 1900 on the non-resident train traffic became an important
issue for the Dutch railways. Other interesting activities in this period
were the renovation and improvement of the existing railway yards and
stations.
For the first time these works were strongly influenced by the way
the cities had grown around railroads. In the last twenty years of the
nineteenth century the urban area of many Dutch cities expanded
considerably. The areas around the stations and part of the railroads,
originally planned outside the historical centres, were now completely
surrounded by the outgrown cities. The railway infrastructure, in most
cases still running on the street level, became quickly a serious barrier
for the other flows of traffic. In addition, the development of the areas
around stations and railroads, until that time characterized by mostly
utilitarian buildings and warehouses, started to be a very interesting
issue because of their strategic position between the historical cities
and the new expansion districts.
With the Woningwet of 1902 several Dutch cities were obliged
to set up clear plans for their expansion (uitbreidingsplan) and the
organization of railways and public transportation in the city became
an extremely important matter65.
In the mean time the construction of new stations and the reconstruction
of existing ones are mainly in the hands of a limited group of architects.
The HIJSM (since the last quarter of the nineteenth century also called
HSM) has from 1879 to 1909 D.A.N. Margadant as chief architect of
48
26
Poster of the exposition ‘De trein’,
held in Amsterdam in 1939 to
celebrate the first hundred years
of the Dutch railroads.
27
Map of the electrified railway lines up to
1940.

29 (opposite page) 28
Ironical poster comparing the profit of Poster showing the publicity around
car and oil companies with the financial the electrification of the main Dutch
loss of railways in 1935. railroads.
 30
Construction of a temporary railway bridge on
the river Rhine, close to Oosterbeek. Potograph
taken just after the Second World War.

31
Short after the Second World War the
Dutch railways had to make use of buses
in order to ensure certain connections.
This picture is taken just after the War.
On the background is visible the destroyed
station of Arnhem.
 PART 2

the company. G.W. van Heukelom works from 1891 on as permanent

collaborator of the SS making most of the projects.

The First World War brought quite some changes to the organization
of railways. First of all the electrification of the most lines became an
essential matter. This also meant the realization of elevated railway
structures in most cities and the subsequent reorganization of traffic,
sometimes not only around stations. In the second place the State got
more control in matter of railroads particularly during the war and
decided to force an agreement between the S.S. and the H.IJ.S.M. in
order to improve the quality of railway transportation. From 1917 on
both companies were obliged to work together under the responsibility
of the State. The process of growth of the S.S. went on and the
collaboration with the H.IJ.S.M. became better. From 1917 on, as a
prove of the good collaboration, both companies are signing together
the most new contracts. The actual merger of both companies into
the N.V. Nederlandsche Spoorwegen66 was signed in 1937. From that
moment on further developments of the Dutch railways are regulated
by a new law issued on May 26th 193767.
Beside the creation of a national railway company, the years
between the two wars are also characterized by the great competition
with the increasing road traffic. The financial loss of many railway
lines forced the NS to revise the service concentrating on long-
distance travel reducing the frequency of services on regional lines.
This caused the closing of around 150 stations between 1920 and
1940. The enlargement of the network is very marginal in this period
and concerns mainly some freight services68. As a matter of fact the
NS had to concentrate on renewing its image and becoming a modern
66
company in order to compete with the upcoming road traffic. The
The N.S. is the current Dutch
difference in travel classes is not an issue anymore and step-by-step Railway Company.
the station transforms into a dynamic building where the passengers 67
play a central role. The facilities in stations are available for everyone See also J. H. Jonckers Nieboer,
and the platforms are elevated in order to improve the accessibility of Geschiedenis der Nederlandse
the wagons. Around the stations the demand of space to accommodate Spoorwegen 1832-1938, 1938,
p.316-328.
other means of transportation increases and, on the other hand,
68
the need of marshalling yards decreases as the electric locomotive
Some local railway lines are started
does not need to be serviced after every journey. When it comes to in the province of Groningen and
realization of stations in this period the work of the architects S. van the line between Gouda and Alphen
Ravesteyn, since 1912 employed at the SS , and H.G.J. Schelling, at a/d Rijn is opened (1934).

53

69
For more information about the
work of S van Ravesteyn and
H.G.J. Schelling see also P. Saal,
F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations,
1983, p. 76-106.
70
More details about the topic in
P. Saal, F. Spangenberg, Kijk op
stations, 1983, p. 85-106.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
the HSM from 1916 on, is remarkable. Their involvement with the two
railway companies will last until the end of the 1950s69.
The condition of the Dutch railway network after the Second World War
was disastrous. The German destroyed a great part of the infrastructure
and the material was also heavily damaged. Everyone at the NS worked
very hard and due to an efficient reconstruction campaign the railway
network was fully operational by 1948. Despite the constant growth of
road traffic, the railway kept an important share of the passenger and
freight market until the end of the 1960s. In the period between 1945
and 1960 a considerable number of stations were fully or partially
renovated following a common strategy: keeping the costs as low as
possible. New stations had to be integrated in the traffic network and
had to become a central node in the changing structure of the city. The
new stations of Enschede, Den Helder, Leiden, Eindhoven, Venlo and,
in some ways, Rotterdam Central Station are in fact integral parts of
the reconstruction plans after World War Two70.
In the 1960s the economic position of the NS gets worse. The road
traffic took definitively over the travel business from the railways and
other public means of transportation. From 1964 onwards the financial
position of the NS is every year unprofitable. A renewing plan was
strongly needed. In 1969 NS comes with a strategy plan called ‘Spoor
na ’75’ (Rail after 1975). The most interesting part of this document is
the changing of strategy by the NS. The new challenge is to bring the
railway where the potential passengers are. The strategy sounds very
logic and obvious but it is in fact a reaction to the planning failures
of the reconstruction and expansion period until 1975. The majority
of the planned and realized public works or the development of new
dwelling areas was more oriented towards motorways and roads than
stations. For this reasons the NS proposes to concentrate the efforts
on a decade of railway connections. The new Schiphol line, with the
construction of The Hague Central Station, the Zoetermeer line and
the Flevo line are the most important projects of this period. The NS
regains a bit of credit and undergoes a process of restyling that will
change the dusty image into a modern public service.
From 1960 onwards also the design of the Dutch stations changes
considerably. Until the end of the 1950s we note a common tendency
of looking to a unitary architectural theme when designing stations.
54
 PART 2

The work of S van Ravesteyn and H.G.J. Schelling, although different

in architectural conception, confirms this tendency. Nevertheless the
restyling process of the NS, mainly focussed on the train intended as
modern but at the same time utilitarian public service, brings along also
a clear shifting in the typological organization of stations. Particularly
in middle-sized stations, the number of secondary functions is reduced
to the minimum and even the size of the entrance hall shrinks back.
The culture of standardization comes back in the design of stations
of the 1960s and 1970s. The lack of articulation in the design of the
space and the disappearance of other functions reduce the station
to a functional box to be mounted everywhere. With this in mind, the
NS architects and the architects of the new metropolitan railways of
Rotterdam and Amsterdam are in these years busy in developing their
own ‘house style’; following this principle, a NS station is not a station
for the metropolitan railways and a metropolitan railway station in
Rotterdam must be different of one in Amsterdam. The design of bigger
railway stations could than be approached as a unique architectural
assignment but had to be recognizable as one in a series71.

Contemporary developments: High Speed Rail and the Randstad

Despite the rapid increase of car and air traffic, in one and half century
the train has grown into one of the most used means of transportation 71
on a European level. In addition the railway network continues its The discussion about the design
development and expansion. Several European countries are nowadays of Dutch railway stations after
the.. 1960s is treated in a very
investing large amount of money in High Speed network projects inside
interesting way by L. Van Duin
and outside the cities. This also goes for The Netherlands. Especially
in his article De metrostations
the traffic congestion due to the use of cars makes an advanced train van Spijkenisse, published in
network a good travel alternative, particularly in the Randstad. As in Architectonische Studies 4, Verpakte
this text previously explained, the Randstad in its layout, morphology Zakelijkheid, 1987.
and functioning is determined and supported by the presence of an 72

efficient train network. The HSL was supposed to be

operative already by the beginning
of 2007. Due to technical problems
The construction of the High Speed Railway Line (HSL) is meant to involving the safety system, the
integrate the Netherlands with the European High Speed Railway correct date of the first HSL
network. The main railway line, connecting Amsterdam with Brussels, services is yet unknown (in march
should be ready in 200772 and should be an environmental friendly 2008 is the HSL still not open to
alternative to the car and air traffic. The expectations run high: seven the public).

55
32
The Randstad compared in scale with the
regions of Paris and London.

33
The Dutch railway company (NS)
announces the new connection
with the International Airport of
Schiphol. Poster of 1981.
34 a b c d e
The construction of the High Speed
Railway line in the Randstad. Aerial
pictures. .
35 36
Scheme with the future frequency of the High Scheme with the time planning of the
Speed Train connections in The Netherlands. construction of the six main High Speed Train
locations in The Netherlands.

37 38
Functional distribution of six HSL Governmental contributions in million
locations in The Netherlands. euros for six HSL stations in The
Netherlands.
 PART 2

Million passengers per year should travel comfortably from city centre
to city centre.
The Dutch HSL will make use of existing and new railway tracks.
From Amsterdam to Schiphol Airport the train will stick to the present
track; right after Schiphol, at Hoofddorp to be precise, the new high-
speed track begins and runs until Rotterdam. Between Rotterdam and
Barendrecht the high-speed train returns to the existing track and from
Barendrecht on continues using a new one joining the Belgian HSL
network. In spite of the delay as result of the use of existing tracks,
the travel time between Amsterdam and Rotterdam will be reduced
from 55 to 35 minutes. Also Paris (only 3 hours) and London will get
closer to Amsterdam when the High Speed train will start to operate.
Although some troubles in the final part of the realization are
delaying the completation of the project73, the ministry of transport is
quite confident about the success of the High Speed Train. A curious
aspect is that the media pays currently attention particularly to the
construction of the most important nodes of the new line. Nowadays
the design of the stations as a multifunctional traffic junction where
high-speed trains, regular trains, metropolitan trains, buses, cars,
bicycles and pedestrians all come together seems to be the most
important assignment to work on. My personal opinion is that other
important matters seem to be forgotten. For instance, in case of the
Dutch HSL train, the question of how the new railway tracks touch
the territory of the Randstad stays under-exposed. Another interesting
discussion, almost unheard during the last months, is about the role
of the existing railway connections after the advent of the high-speed
train in the Randstad. The current railway links, functioning today
on a regional level, will probably be relegated to transportation on a
local level while the high-speed train will also gradually take over the
regional railway traffic. Considering these changes a partial mutation
of the existing railways will be needed, bringing the realization of a
metro-like railway connection on the Randstad level very close. What
happened in other European metropolis at the end of the nineteenth
century may finally become, although caused by other reasons, an
actual theme for transportation in the Randstad.
For these reasons it is quite interesting to follow the ongoing
railway projects in the Netherlands and try to foresee the future impact
of railways in the process of transformation of several Dutch cities. 73
The cities directly served by the HSL are obviously profiting from See the previous note.

59
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

their position and developing or re-developing business areas. Some

examples are the Zuidas (South axis) in Amsterdam, a new trade area,
or the huge urban renewal project planned right outside the central
station of Rotterdam. Next to these projects, which are already getting
enough attention in the media, I think we should turn our interest to
the other cities, the ones without a straight connection with the HSL. In
order to keep up with the future developments of the Randstad, these
cities will probably have to build efficient transportation links with the
closest HSL hub. Building or renewing the means of transportation in
these cities will give rise to new architectural interventions. These facts
all together, although currently not yet attracting the attention of the
planning authorities, constitute an interesting field of research that we
are trying to tackle with a number of design projects at the Faculty of
Architecture of the TU Delft.

60
61
 PART 3

62
Entangled with the city: the
metropolitan railways

Introduction

The construction and the expansion of the railway as means of

transportation in the city cannot be seen outside the context of
the industrial revolution. In the eighteenth century the European
city in general, still based on its medieval structure, is transformed
drastically by the effects of the industrial revolution. The city expands,
not only due to morphological extensions but also because new means
of transportation change the perception of its visible boundaries74.
The European city tends to be divided in specific functional districts,
varying from residential to industrial and from leisure to business
areas.
From 1800 to approximately 1865 the population of London and
Paris had almost quadrupled; by 1880 also Berlin and Vienna had 74
considerably grown, reaching both almost one million inhabitants. For the one particularly interested

In this framework the need of better transportation inside the city in these aspects it’s worth
mentioning the book of W.
becomes an important issue. Particularly to improve the mobility of
Schivelbusch, The Railway Journey,
citizens, a quick upgrading of the existing network of transportation the industrialization of time and space
was indispensable. Main roads had to be enlarged and newly paved in the 19th century, 1986.
to meet the demands of the increased vehicle traffic. Despite various 75
efforts of municipalities and other public authorities, the chaos and For extensive information about the
the congestion in major cities did not seem to stop. construction and the development
of the London metropolitan
railways look at T. C. Barker,
A consistent solution to the growing demand for reliable and faster
M. Robbins, A history of London
transport came with the railway, already tested as transportation Transport, vol. 1, The nineteenth
system between cities. Its characteristics also made the train a century, 1975 and T. C. Barker,
valuable transport alternative inside the city itself. In 1863 the first M. Robbins, A history of London
steam powered metropolitan railway line is opened in London between Transport, vol. 2, The twentieth
century to 1970, 1976.
Paddington and Farringdon75. Even with the enormous pollution caused

63

76
The electrification of metropolitan
railways in London started only
around the end of the nineteenth
century.
77
Although the route was authorised
by the munipality of London as
early as 1853, due to financial
problems and to the hard
competition between the railway
companies the Circle Line was
completed only in 1884. The
route between Paddington and
Farringdon is part of this railway
line.
78
The Petite Ceinture of Paris is
a circular railway line realized
between 1852 and 1869
connecting all the railway lines
going into the centre of the city.
Although initially meant for freight
transportation, this railway line
was fully operational also for
passengers and for this reason
is somehow considered as the
precursor of metropolitan railways.
The Petite Ceinture is nowadays not
anymore in use.
79
The Ringbahn (circle line) of Berlin
was build between 1867 and 1877.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
by the steam train in the underground section of the railway line76, the
metropolitan train became a great alternative for quick displacements
within the city. Another advantage of underground railways was the
possibility to combine its construction with the realization of sewer
systems and water ducts.
In other European cities started soon after the example of
London the discussion about the construction of metropolitan railway
systems.
Especially from the point of view of urban planning the emergence
of the railway as transportation system plays an important role in the
way the expansions of the modern cities are designed. Representative
examples are the projects for the Circle Line77 in London, the Petite
Ceinture78 in Paris or the Ringbahn79 in Berlin.
No major city could be imagined without a modern railway system.
This new element in the constructing of the city also leads to new
questions. What kind of impact would the metropolitan railway lines
have on the existing city? What would be the most sensible architectural
approach to design and construct its buildings? It becomes clear that
the design of stations, viaducts, tunnels and bridges cannot be left
only to the mere engineering approach but requires the expertise of
architects.
Following the framework sketched above, this section of the research
will focus on the metropolitan railway seen as an architectural project
in the urban context. Looking at the topic from this perspective I came
across the great example of Otto Wagner’s project for the Stadtbahn of
Vienna. While analysing this project I became enormously fascinated
by this particular part of the great oeuvre of Otto Wagner. The study of
this architecture has been for me a source of extra motivation for the
further development of my research. I consider the Stadtbahn of Otto
Wagner as the exemplary project in which the issue of constructing a
railway yard in the city is treated as an architectural problem. This is
also the reason why I decided to dedicate a considerable section of
this part of the thesis to this project.
After looking at Otto Wagner’s work I’ll turn my attention to
the Dutch metropolitan railways. Even though the discussion about
metropolitan railways is followed with particular attention, till after the
Second World War it has practically been a forgotten issue in the Dutch
urban project. This is an interesting chapter of the study because the
64
39
Drawing / section showing the underground
works at the junction Hampstead road – Euston
road in London.
40
Drawing showing the existing railways and the
project for the first metropolitan railways of
Paris. Situation of 1886.

41
Map showing the electrified metropolitan
railways in London up to 1902.
 PART 3

metropolitan railways are an important driving force in the present

developments in the Netherlands, particularly in Amsterdam.

Railways and expanding modern cities: the oeuvre of Otto Wagner

As already mentioned in the introduction to this research section, the

regulation and the organization of the growing industrial city is one of
the main concerns of nineteenth century architects, urban planners,
sociologists and philosophers. First in England and then in the rest of
Europe, the European city is confronted with an enormous growth of
its number of inhabitants, moving massively from the countryside to
the cities with the hope of a better life. The rapidity of its expansion
makes it almost impossible to control the development mechanisms
of the city. Consequences are unbearable working and living conditions
especially for the low classes. Françoise Choay observes in the preface
of ‘L’urbanisme. Utopies et réalités’80 that this problem finds its own
critical dimension in the nineteenth century urban reality and assumes
a clinic-therapeutic character with its scientific intentions.

Robert Owen, Tony Garnier, Ebenezer Howard, Camillo Sitte and others,
make different kind of studies about the growing modern city. Using
philosophical and sociological studies as starting point, they mainly
work on utopian models of the city proposing interesting possibilities
for its future development. Although the outcome of their work has
great influence on the theoretical and the professional world, they have
realized a limited number of plans not always corresponding to their
theoretical proposals.

As a matter of fact only few professionals have the possibility to work

on large-scale projects for the modern city. One of them is Otto Wagner,
the well-known Viennese architect, who has always been interested
in finding design elements for the expression of modern society and
technology. Like many architects of his time, he participates actively
in the discussion about the relationship between art, architecture and
city. Embracing the motto ‘Artis sola domina necessitas’ (necessity
is the only master of art) Wagner considers the neoclassic practice 80
of covering the pure materials with plaster work or other added Françoise Choay, L’Urbanisme.
ornamental devices as anachronistic. For him this way of working is Utopies et réalités, 1965.

67

81
Otto Wagner, Die Großstadt, eine
Studie über diese, 1911.
82
Otto Wagner, Moderne Architektur,
Seinen Schülern ein Führer auf
diesem kunstgebiete, Vienna 1896,
1898, 1902, revisited in 1914.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
not sincere, it is a form of degeneration, almost like the Potiemkin’s
cardboard villages set up in Ekaterinenburg. Nevertheless the integral
application of this principle was a bit too ambitious. In fact Wagner’s
work still belongs to the eclectic tradition of the end of the nineteenth
century. This consideration is correct if we look at his buildings but
when we analyze his work as urban planner for the city of Vienna, we
can’t deny his will to be a modernist to the backbone.
Following an invitation of professor A. D. Hamlin of Columbia
University for an international congress in New York in 1910, Otto
Wagner prepares a paper that can be considered the preliminary stage
of his text ‘Die Großstadt, eine Studie über diese’81, issued in 1911. The
problem of the great city was already a subject in Wagner’s writing,
first in his text accompanying the entry to the competition for greater
Vienna in 1893 and then in the publication series ‘Moderne Architektur’
(1896,1898,1902, revised in 1914)82.
‘Die Großstadt’ is certainly his main text dealing with the theme
of city planning in which he clearly expresses his thinking about this
matter.
Elaborating on studies with the master plan for greater Vienna in
1893, Wagner formulates in ‘Die Großstadt’ a concept of urban growth
providing an orderly system of expansion made by a series of districts
from 100.000 to 150.000 inhabitants. Those districts are located in a
greater system of radial boulevards, each one of them starting from
the city centre. According to this strategy there would be no limits to
the size of the city, besides its topographical boundaries. He describes
very precisely how the process of expansion could be implemented:
first the acquisition of the land by the municipality that step by step,
in a leasing-like form, will create the basic infrastructures needed for
the development. After that, as the interest for investment will have
increased, the municipality will sell the ground for the development of
other (private) buildings following strictly controlled rules.
Further in his text Otto Wagner’s aversion for some of Camillo
Sitte’s planning devices surfaces as he stresses
“Quite as unjustifiable and objectionable from an artistic viewpoint are
intentional but unwarranted curves and irregularities in the lay-out of streets
and squares, intended solely to produce artificially picturesque vistas”.
68
 PART 3

In the Vienna of his time, the fame of Camillo Sitte’s work was already
well established, especially in the theoretical and scientific sphere.
Wagner is sharp in his critic to Sitte’s convictions and doubts about
the right use of the word ‘art’ by Camillo Sitte and his followers while
describing the essential characteristics of a city plan:

“It must be remembered as a fundamental fact that the great majority of the
community, including, of course, visitors to the city, is quite ignorant of artistic
matters….The more completely a city fulfils its practical ends, the better does
it minister to the pleasure of its inhabitants; and the greater the part played
by Art in this ministry, the more beautiful the city. Neatness and scrupulous
cleanliness go hand in hand with Art; city governments please take notice!”83.

In his project for the greater Vienna, Wagner points out the concept of
realism as main issue supporting the premises of modern architecture.
About the modern city he stresses in the book ‘Moderne Architektur’:

“their unprecedented size has given rise to a number of new problems that
await an architectural solution”.

Wagner underlines that the modern city has to be developed following

logical and functional principles and, among other facilities, the city
needs a technological advanced transportation system. He is convinced
that a public transportation on rail is a necessity, a fundamental spine
of his ideal city. New problems awaiting an architectural solution, as
Wagner mentioned in ‘Moderne Architektur’, become visible when the
new rail system with its facilities has to be integrated in the existing
cityscape. The railway with its iron bridges and viaducts, symbols of
the modern technology but traditionally belonging to the world of the
engineer, is a real threat for the architectural language of the existing
city and its monuments. In this framework the mission of the architect
is to harmonize the realistic and practical approach of the engineer
with the more idealistic attitude of the artist.

Personal fascination: the Stadtbahn of Vienna

83
The participation at the competition for the Stadtbahn in Vienna, Source: The Architectural record 31,
announced by the municipality in 1890, is for Otto Wagner a unique pag. 485-500, May 1912.

69
 Railway s i n the ur b an contex t

occasion to deal with the Großstadt in practice. The urban transportation

problem had become critical as the city was expanding rapidly and
the competition for the Stadtbahn coincides with the presentation of
the plans for the second city’s extension. In the various projects for
the railway transportation system presented since 1871, the main
concerns of the municipality as well as of the public opinion were the
viaducts and the railway tracks above the ground.
Wagner wins the competition. His proposal, providing six lines in
total, is part of the project for the greater Vienna (1893). The choice
of the commission for Wagner could be due to the fact that in his plans
for the greater Vienna he reduces the elevated part of the railway to the
minimum. While the first proposals were sketching a Vienna completely
invaded by iron and thick walls, Wagner is limiting the impact of the
elevated railway to a part of the Gürtellinie and to certain peripheral
sections of the Stadtbahn.

He wishes to control every single detail of the project. Between

1894 and 1900 Wagner produces almost 2.000 drawings about the
Stadtbahn. According to a lot of authors who have studied Wagner,
like Robert Trevisiol84, it is difficult to imagine that the responsible
authorities in Vienna realized the necessity to study and design every
detail. Wagner however was very determined and he asked to have an
artistic consultant next to him for this complex project.
In the final realization we can identify various stylistic tendencies,
particularly in the stations of the various lines. Typical of the Viennese
classicism is the articulation of the volumes along the ‘Wientallinie’. In
the extension of this line, the ‘Donaukanallinie’, we can observe more
formal research by the architect. This line develops itself along the
embankments of the Donau canal and thereby represents a transition
between nature and city. This part of the Stadtbahn is completely
integrated in Wagner’s proposal for a general plan including the
‘Stadtpark’ and the re-make of the canal embankments. His drawings
for the rearrangement of the ‘Donaukanal’ represent the first studies
to assemble two new urban routes lying on different levels. The
technique applied by Wagner in the perspective drawings showing the
crossing routes will be re-used in the most important illustration of
the Stadtbahn.
84
Robert Trevisiol, Otto Wagner, 1990.

70
42
O. Wagner, overview map of the Vienna
Stadtbahn.
44
O. Wagner, General plan of Vienna (1893).
Project for the district of ‘Stadtteil am
WienfluSS zwischen Getreidemarkt und
Stadtpark’.
43
O. Wagner, drawing of the GroSSstadt.
45
O. Wagner, General plan of Vienna
(1893). Project for the district of
‘Stubenviertels’.
46
O. Wagner, General plan of Vienna (1893).
Perspective drawing for the Hochbahn-
Viaduct, Meidling, Schönbrunnerstrasse. 47
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, project for the
viaduct ‘Über die Zeile’ on the Gürtellinie.
 48
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, drawings for
the mid-pilon of the viaduct ‘Über die Zeile’
on the Gürtellinie.

49 50
O. Wagner, drawing for the Ferdinand O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, drawings for the section of the railway
bridge. next to the Donau-canal.
 52
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, photograph
of a load-bearing pilon on the Gürtellinie.

51
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, drawing and
photograph of a bridge on the Gürtellinie.

53 54
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, photograph O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, drawing of a viaduct
of a load-bearing pilon on the Gürtellinie. on the Gürtellinie.
55
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn,
photograph of a section of the
railway next to the Donau-canal.

56
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn,
drawings for the viaduct ‘Über die
Zeile’ on the Gürtellinie.
57
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, photograph.
59
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, drawings
for the viaduct ‘Waehringer’ on the
Gürtellinie.
58
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, photograph.
60
O. Wagner, Vienna Stadtbahn, drawings
for one of the load-bearing pilons of the
viaduct ‘Über die Zeile’ on the Gürtellinie.
 PART 3

In the most peripheral line, the ‘Vorortelinie’, Wagner designs several

types of stations stylistically different, in which he experiments
the transition from the historical heritage towards an architectural
language purified of ornamental addictions and technologically more
advanced, especially concerning the use of iron. A good example is the
Unter-Döbling station.

Wagner’s various studies about the relationship between city and

infrastructure become completely explicit, in my opinion, in the project
of the ‘Gürtellinie’. This part of the Stadtbahn, characterised by the
alternation of bridges, viaducts and walkovers, crosses almost all the
city radials connecting the heart of Vienna with the outskirts. In the
main traffic points, Wagner treats the side elevation of the railway
viaducts like the side facade of a building.
In his proposals for the urban reorganization in the general plan
of Vienna, we can already note Wagner’s intention to study carefully
the contact points between the railway and the city. In several drawing
plans the architects shows the urban texture crossed by the railway
line, clearly represented with broken lines projected on the urban plan.
He wants of course to control as much as possible the impact of the
infrastructure on the existent city.

In this respect it is really interesting to have a look at Wagner’s drawings

enclosed in the general plan of Vienna where he shows the junction
between streets, railway and public space. As already said regarding
the plans, in these drawings there is a concrete will to investigate every
single part of the project. The famous perspective drawings for the
‘Hochbahn-Viaduct’ and the pavilion on the ‘Elisabethplatz’ are clear
examples of Wagner’s interest for these architectural problems.
I don’t know if the architect himself was aware of that but he
has studied the integration in the urban scenery of architectonic
prototypes of buildings without any precedent reference. Being aware
of the fact that a vital characteristic of any building is its function,
Wagner designs the viaducts of the Stadtbahn fulfilling a double role.
At the one hand statically supporting the railway tracks on the higher
level but, at the other hand, functioning as building with a facade on
the street or facing the square.
Following this interpretation we could consider these architectural
realizations as hybrid buildings produced by the development of the

77

85
Günter Kolb, Otto Wagner und die
Wiener Stadtbahn, Munich 1989.
Railway s i n the ur b an contex t
modern city. On the same level of the street or square we find not
only the access to the station or the accommodation for the railway
machinery but also other commercial activities, often housed on two
levels under the railway viaduct.
Beside this, Wagner’s choice for the perspective’s viewpoints represent
the real experimental character that he entrusts to his drawings.
Probably exaggerating a bit on the role of the verkehrsmittel, he controls
from man height viewpoint the perception of the entire urban space as
well as the proportion of the viaducts. It is for this reason, as Günter
Kolb notes in his publication on the Stadtbahn85, that the viewpoint in
Wagner’s perspectives is very decentralized in relation to the drawing
frame. By making the drawings in this way he can therefore show the
right proportions of the different elements setting up the street. Pylons
and walls, the main structural elements of the viaduct, are placed
parallel to the direction of the street, underlining the urban continuity
of the street also in the case of the underpass.
Wagner stylistic and architectonic convictions are playing a fundamental
role in all this. The hybrid buildings are almost treated as monuments
becoming the symbol of the architecture for the modern city. In fact
Wagner applies his believe in the pure use of materials in different
ways in his design of the viaducts showing the technical and aesthetic
quality of iron, symbol of a new era in architecture. Not influenced by
the common uses of his time, he does not hide the ‘Utilitas’ of the iron
behind covers or screens. The introduction of ornaments is limited
to pseudo-secessionist figures present in the iron beams bearing the
viaducts or in the iron balustrades where Wagner apparently offers
more space to the art consultancy.
As already mentioned before, the means of transportation becomes
a building with facades; it is not a barrier anymore but it integrates
itself in the city landscape. This is one of the most innovative aspects
of Wagner’s work, illustrated trough the drawings of the Stadtbahn. By
means of this project, especially in the case of his drawings, Wagner
lets his idea about the Großstadt partly coming true. The Wagner’s
Großstadt is an urban planning strategy based on the sequence of
architectural blocks in which the transportation system is part of the
composition as well as the other buildings.
78
 PART 3

Of course everything is more evident because the construction

of the Stadtbahn is a unique occasion in which the transportation
system is put across the existing city and has to integrate in its urban
morphology.

Otto Wagner himself is fascinated by the possibility created for the

traveller of understanding the city through another perception and
speed thanks to the new means of transportation. In some of his writings
he stresses the necessity of the railway in the city in a romantic way,
proper of his period, but at the same time with the firm conviction of
a modernist. The realization of the Stadtbahn, considered in its whole
size, could be compared to other nineteenth century innovations in the
field of technique, use or costume that have altered the scene and the
life in the modern city. The scene of the modern city that, according to
Wagner’s words, must be controlled by the baumeister.

Awaiting metropolitan railways: the Dutch project

The metro as a transportation system appears in the last decades

of the nineteenth century as a solution for the growing demand for
mass transportation in expanding cities. The underground version
of the railway was a good alternative for an overcrowded, congested
city-fabric where land prices are too high to consider building an
overland rail network. Next to London and Vienna also Paris opened
the first metropolitan line86 coinciding with the world expo of 1900.
Unforgetable of this project are the famous entrances in Jugendstil
designed by Hector Guimard. For another European capital, Berlin, the
opening of the first section of the S-bahn came only two years later,
in 1902.

While these cities are concerned with the realization of metropolitan

railways, the discussion in The Netherlands and particularly in
Amsterdam was about whether the mainline tracks would reach
the city centre at all. Amsterdam was still served by two terminus
stations situated at the edge of the historical city. Because of that the
86
railway traffic was heavily disturbed by the interruption in the network. The first line in Paris is the one
Next to it the city needed better rail connection with its harbour. going from Porte Maillot to Porte
Representative of the debate about the location of railway and station de Vincennes.

79

87
The design of Cuypers central
station will be described and
analyzed in the next chapter of this
thesis.
88
Life and oeuvre of van Eesteren
are extensively treated in the book
M. Bock, V. van Rossem, K. Somer,
Bouwkunst, Stijl, Stedenbouw. Van
Eesteren en de avant-garde, 2001.
Railway s i n the ur b an contex t
in Amsterdam are the proposals of Huët (1867) and Berlage (1915).
The first one envisions a central station on Dam Square, in the heart
of the city. Berlage, instead, proposes an additional railway station
on the southern edge of his plan for the extension of the city, the
so-called Plan South (in Dutch called Plan Zuid). Together with the
central station of Cuypers87, by that time already built, the southern
railway terminal planned by Berlage put forward the possibility of a
bipolar transportation system in the city. This proposal would have
required a connection between the two stations, probably some kind
of metropolitan railway like in other European capitals. In reality
things developed in a different way and the metropolitan railway did
not become an issue. From 1889 onwards Amsterdam is characterized
by a centrifugal system of transportation all converging in its central
station, constructed on the edge of the IJ-water (the inner sea right on
the north of the city centre).
Because of its size and relatively small population the compact Dutch
city did not immediately need metropolitan railway lines. This reliable
and rapid transportation system that already proved itself connecting
the multiple railway train stations in London, Vienna, Paris, or Berlin
and ensuring the link between the centre and the new peripheries,
wasn’t an issue in The Netherlands up to almost 1930. Only at that
time the AUP (Amsterdam General Plan of Expansion) of Van Eesteren
pointed out the necessity of connecting the planned outskirts of the city
with the centre of Amsterdam88. The discussion lasted several years
but only in 1960s things start moving in Amsterdam and in Rotterdam.
Amsterdam had considerably expanded in size and the link between
the new peripheries and the centre had become a sensitive social issue.
In Rotterdam things were different. The Second World War bombments
destroyed almost the entire city. Reconstruction works started right
after the war and several districts of the city laid open for all kind of
interventions. In this framework the project and the construction of the
first metropolitan railway in Rotterdam runs relatively easy as part of
the re-building developments of the city. In fact it’s Rotterdam the city
where the first Dutch metropolitan line is opened in 1968. Probably
one of the shortest in its kind, only 5,9 kilometers long, the so-called
‘Erasmuslijn’ links the central station with the area of Zuidplein,
situated in the southern part of the city across the river Meuse. In
1982 begins the construction of the second metro line in the city,
80
 PART 3

61
A. Huët, plan of Amsterdam showing the
proposal for a central railway station on
the Dam square.
 62
Perspective drawing made by
H.P.Berlage of the Plan Zuid (Plan
South). On the foreground the
proposed Station South.

63
H.P. Berlage, Amsterdam Plan Zuid (plan south), 1915. The
central positioned building at the bottom of the drawing
is the station south as Berlage proposed.
64
C. van Eesteren, the AUP of Amsterdam
(general plan for the extension), 1935.
65
The inner city of Rotterdam after the
clearance of rubble. Photograph taken in
1946. The railway line through the city is
clearly visible.
 PART 3

the so-called Calandlijn, connecting the southeastern Capelsebrug (a

bridge located at the border of the city next to Capelle aan den IJssel)
with the Coolhaven (one of the harbours of Rotterdam).

In the meanwhile in 1965 the Amsterdam city council decided to

replace part of the existing network of trams, already stuck in the
surface traffic and reaching only two districts89 beyond the pre-war
footprint of the city, by a mainly underground metropolitan network
arriving into the outer urban areas. The project proposed the realization
of four lines: one north-south, one southeast-southwest, one east-west
ring line around the city centre, and one ring line around edge of pre-
war city.
More the result of a social compromise than a straightforward
technocratic solution inspired by earlier European metropolitan
experiences, the ring-like metropolitan system of Amsterdam had
to connect the different peripheral districts with each other and the
central station, avoiding as much as possible the historical core of the
city. The first two full metropolitan lines opened only in 1977 and three
years later both lines reached the central station. Just 3,5 kilometers
of Amsterdam metropolitan railway system runs actually underground
(between central station and the station Amstel), continuing the
journey into the periphery on the surface. It is often laid parallel to
mainline railway tracks with transit provided via cross-platforms at
various stations.

The first part of the north-south line is the underground variant of the
main axis of the city: central station – Dam – Rokin. In the late sixties
the construction of the metropolitan project started at the cheaper
southeastern end of the line. This link was urgently needed to connect
the city centre with the newly planned district called Bijlmermeer. Only
the obsolete former Jewish quarter of Amsterdam required demolition
in order to build the underground section of this line. To free space for
new developments, along with the metro line and a highway, in 1968
the council of Amsterdam voted in favour of a plan to tear down most
of the houses in the Nieuwmarkt area. But this decision became the 89
immediate cause to activate the protest-movement at that time. After In 1965 two tram services were
the riots by squatters and local residents in 1974, the city cancelled linking the districts of Slotermeer
most of the accompanying urban renewal except for the needed (from 1954) and Osdorp (from
1962) with the centre of the city.
alignment of the subway and the project for the city hall/opera house

85
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66 67
Map of the metropolitan railway lines of Amsterdam, project for the North-South
Amsterdam including the new North-South line. Cross section taken on Amsterdam
line. Central Station. The new metropolitan
railway line will lay underneath the water
of the IJ as well as the existing station.
68
The North-South line. Scheme showing the
different position of the stations and the
depths of the underground tubes.

90
See also S.U. Barbieri, R. Cavallo, F.
Geerts ‘Amsterdam, Noord/Zuidlijn.
A new chapter in the city’s project’
article in Rassegna 84, 2006.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
known as ‘Stopera’.
The 1970s metropolitan line was scheduled for major renovation, again
in harmony with an urban project – the ‘update’ of its destination: the
Bijlmermeer district itself. But the metropolitan project itself was not
well received. Putting public transportation underground would give
the surface completely to the car. Besides, due to the financial disaster
of 1977, the Dutch government decided to take over the responsibility
for urban public transport from the councils. The policy of the central
authorities changed and the investments on metropolitan railways
reduced, causing the cancellation of any other subway line in the
country except the one already in course of realization in Amsterdam.
In 1990 the transportation system in the city was expanded via
surface light rail (in Dutch called ‘sneltram’) to the south. An example
is the line to Amstelveen, extended further south in 2004. In 1997
opened the ring line (in Dutch called ‘Ringlijn’) connecting the western
districts to the ones in the southeast. Both lines have a section running
in the middle of the southern highway ring road, passing by the Zuidas
(Southern Axis) corridor. The last completed project is the express
tram link between central station and IJburg. This housing district is
also the most recent project in the extension of the city to the east.
The 8,5 kilometers long tramline opened in 2005 and runs for 1,5km
in a tunnel under the eastern docks.
Under construction:
North-South, a new metropolitan line in Amsterdam
Like other European capitals, Amsterdam is updating its transportation
and, with it, its insertion in a greater territorial context. After the
gradual expansion of the transportation system to the outer borders
of the agglomeration, another crucial moment in the development of
Amsterdam is arrived: the new North-South metropolitan line (Noord-
Zuidlijn)90. The central railway station and the subway are nowadays
both part of a comprehensive transportation system having as main
switch the airport of Schiphol, a major hub on the high-speed railway
network and international air transport. As far as the regional scale
is concerned, the presence of Schiphol in this network cannot be
88
 PART 3

underestimated. On the southern highway ring road a twenty-first

century version of Berlage’s unbuilt station proposed in 1915 will be
erected as part of the Zuidas (Southern Axis) project.

In this respect the new North-South metropolitan line is not only the
link between mainline stations but also a new chapter in the urban
project of Amsterdam. For the first time the relatively underdeveloped
northern part of the city beyond the IJ-water will be connected by a
metropolitan railway line to the central station and the city centre.
This fact will certainly be the catalysts for envisioned re-developments
and new interventions in the northern district of the city. The North-
South line will also be the link between the central station and this
new high-profile development around the Zuidas station (also known
as Zuid-WTC station), in progress along and on top of a 1.5 kilometre
section of the ring road. Only few yards away from the location
pointed out by Berlage for his southern station, railways, metropolitan
railway lines and future high-speed rail service will be all organized
in a futuristic high-tech transport hub. Well connected to the airport,
this area is intended to be the top location in the entire country with
the offer of offices, housing, shopping, in a dense, urban, mixed-use
environment.

Subways are expensive public works taking into account the

construction work itself, the maintenance costs, the exploitation costs
and the surveillance. The realization takes a lot of time, often blighting
the surroundings, going on top of the social disruption already caused
by expropriations. In 1970s the construction of metropolitan railways
in Amsterdam has shown this as no other. Almost four decades have
passed since the conception of the North-South line has become a
concrete engineering challenge. Construction work for the new North-
South line started finally in 2002. Amsterdam is going to have its 9.5 km
long metropolitan railway line passing right underneath its historical
core. The line will feature eight stations on the average distance of 1,1
kilometre one another: Buikslotermeerplein - Van Hasseltweg - Centraal
Station – Rokin – Vijzelgracht – Ceintuurbaan (with 26,5m below NAP the
deepest station) - RAI/Europaplein – Zuid/WTC. In the current situation
almost no buildings have to be demolished since the tunnels are drilled
below the existing street pattern. The line is scheduled for operation
in 2011. A southward extension to Schiphol airport and Hoofddorp is

89
71
The future set up of station Zuid-WTC (station south) in
Amsterdam. Cross section scheme and impression of the
interior.

72
Impression of the master plan for the
Zuidas in Amsterdam.

73
The future station Zuid-WTC (station south)
in Amsterdam. Impression of the exterior.
This is an image of the preliminary design.
 PART 3

projected for the future.

The section of this metropolitan line north of the IJ-water is built

on surface by means of viaducts. Once reaching the IJ, it goes
underground in a 130 meter long tunnel made using the immersed-
tunnel technique: floating tunnel segments are towed in place and
sunk one by one into slots, previously prepared on the bottom. At the
central station it connects with the other existing metropolitan railway
lines and mainline service, continuing underground in twin drilled
tunnels below the city centre. When reaching the highway ring road,
at the southern edge of the city, the North-South line will reappear on
surface.

Amsterdam is built on piles; old buildings sit on wooden piles while

concrete piles support recent constructions. The first layer of soil, a
mix of clay, peat and sand, is not strong enough to bear heavy weights.
A second layer of sand is located at a depth of 20 to 30 meter. In
this layer the metro tunnels are located in order to avoid as much as
possible interferences with the foundation of existing buildings91. The
level of the water in the ground is another important issue to deal with.
Since most buildings in the centre of Amsterdam have wooden piles
for a foundation, these would rot when exposed only partially to water.
The soil around the piles should be completely dry or completely under
the water level for the foundations to remain sound. For these reasons
during the realization of the North-South line no water will be added
or subtracted from the soil. Drilling or working underground is always
done without interfering with the water level in the ground. Despite the
extensive survey of the condition of Amsterdam’s underground soil,
the possibility of subsiding grounds is not completely unreal. Fragile
places are therefore treated with extra care, as in the case of the
Berlage Stock Exchange building where the foundations are partially
being reinforced.
Exceptional in scale is the operation at the central station of
Amsterdam. This historic landmark designed by Cuypers and erected
on approximately 9000 wooden piles is currently one of the biggest
91
building sites in the centre of Amsterdam. Here, in order to construct the
This is one of the technical
subway station underneath, part of the original foundation is removed principles applied in the
using an underground concrete table able to support the central part preliminary design phase of the
of the building. Only earth is removed and no water, keeping the rest project.

91

92
For more information about the
interpretation of ‘project of
architecture’ see the paragraph
‘Specification of terms and
theoretical framework’ in Part 1 of
this thesis.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
of the existing foundation safe. Next to the accommodation of the new
metropolitan line, the huge construction site of the station will give rise
in fact to a multilevel traffic node, containing new terminals for ferries
and buses in the new extension facing the water. The road behind the
station will pass through a new tunnel parallel to the railway tracks
under the ground floor, right on top of the metropolitan line. The next
part of this research will treat the project for the central station of
Amsterdam more extensively.
Metropolitan railway stations in Amsterdam: dug in architecture
The stations of the North-South line are compact and straightforward,
with a minimum amount of facilities and featuring one exit at each
end. Some stations require specific arrangements, as in the case of
Ceintuurbaan, where the two platforms are placed on top of each other
because of the small width of the street, the Ferdinand Bolstraat, above.
To create entrances to the station two corner buildings are demolished
and reconstructed in the same size. In this way the new accesses to
the station become part of the existing building fabric.
It is expected that 200.000 passengers will daily use the
North-South line. The stations are supposed to last hundred years.
Everybody understands the importance of the metropolitan line, but
its architectural presence will not be evident on the surface. On the
contrary, back in 2001, Jan Benthem, responsible for the project
as chief architect of Benthem Crouwel Architects, originally even
criticized the political consensus that the subway should be invisible
on the surface. The historic core of Amsterdam was not supposed to be
contaminated by signs of the high-tech machine below. The museum
city of Amsterdam will be easily accessible thanks to the North-South
line, but the architectural evidence of this great improvement should
not be visible. The subway is not a new engine for the urban vehicle,
neither a potential catalyst in addressing the public space on the
surface. We have to accept the fact that these underground stations
only offer solutions for the mere pragmatic needs. Therefore there is no
chance that the North-South line will turn into a project of architecture
for the city92.
The problematic construction of OMA’s tram-tunnel in The Hague
92
74
Entrance of the North-South line at the
Station square. This is an image of the
preliminary design.

75
Impression of a platform of the North-
South line at the Central Station. This is
an image of the preliminary design.

76
Impression of an access of the
North-South line at the Central
Station. This is an image of the
preliminary design.
77
Entrance of the North-South line of
the Rokin station. This is an image of the
preliminary design.

78
Entrance of the North-South line of the
Vijzelgracht station. This is an image of the
preliminary design.

79
Impression of the North-South line at
the Ferdinand Bolstraat station. Due to
the narrow size of the street, the two
platforms are located one on top of the
other. This is an image of the preliminary
design.

80
Entrance of the North-South line of the
Europa Boulevard station. This is an image
of the preliminary design.
 70
M. Stam, entry for the competition of
the Rokin in Amsterdam (1924).

69 a b
C. van Eesteren, entry for the competition
of the Rokin in Amsterdam (1924).

93
See also L. Lansink, Geschiedenis
van het Amsterdamse Stationsplein,
1982.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
proves that no infrastructural project in The Netherlands can be realized
without very sound engineering. Considering the number of projects
signed by Benthem Crouwel Architects, their work will be fundamental in
defining the role architecture will play in rail infrastructure. Their approach
of accommodating the multifunctional character of an infrastructural node
with its primary engineering needs is resulting in a self-contained element
in the system rather than a building that is part of the city.
Benthem Crouwel Architects have become specialists in infrastructural
commissions: the same team that developed a language for the invisible
metro of Amsterdam is responsible for a vast portfolio of transportation
projects. Architects specialized in infrastructure recall the era of the
monopoly-position held by old national railway companies. It is difficult
however to point out what their specialization would comprise when they
are simply asked to minimize the visibility of the stations they are designing.
The programmatic minimalism of the stations together with their explicit
transparency is in sheer contrast with the impact of the project. The
North-South line station of Rokin, 21,5 meter deep and expected to be
the second busiest stop after central station, will be accompanied by an
underground parking garage and a square on top. Rokin has historically
been an unsatisfactory section of the urban north-south axis of Amsterdam.
In 1924 a competition was organized featuring entries of Cornelis van
Eesteren en Mart Stam. Van Eesteren proposed a high-rise building on the
Spui-corner and Mart Stam had even proposed a monorail running above
Rokin93, dramatizing the effect of this radical infrastructural solution. Both
their designs are changing the character of the architectural project for the
infrastructure, from a monumental approach to emphasizing connectivity.
The contemporary role of architecture in the development of infrastructures
in the city becomes clear in the Zuidas (Southern axis) project. All functions
will be dug in and contained by a series of boxes able to house different
transportation systems, not only in space but also in time. With architecture
almost disappearing, the attention goes to the master plan that only gives an
impression of how the city will take shape during the coming two decades.
Without disturbing the flows of traffic, the architecture will gradually fill
up the master plan and distract, in a way, from the infrastructural surgery
underneath. The buildings on the surface of this dug in infrastructure will
not indicate this underground presence.
96
 81
The central station of Rotterdam designed
by van Ravensteyn in 1957. The demolition
works started at the end of 2007.

83 82
Impression of the exterior of the new central station of Impression of the interior of the new
Rotterdam designed by Team CS. central station of Rotterdam designed by
Team CS.
84
Impression of the exterior of the new
central station of The Hague designed by
Benthem Crouwel Architecten.

85
The urban context of The Hague central
station. Aerial photograph.
86
Impression of the exterior of
Utrecht central station designed by
Benthem Crouwel Architecten.

87
Aerial view of Utrecht central
station before and after the
renovation. Design Benthem Crouwel
Architecten.

88
Impression of the interior of Utrecht
central station designed by Benthem
Crouwel Architecten.
 89
Impression of the exterior of
the new station of Arnhem.
Design UN Studio (Ben van
Berkel).

90
The new railway station of
Arnhem. Design UN Studio (Ben
van Berkel).
91 92
Impression of the exterior of the new Impression of the exterior of the new central station of Breda
central station of Breda designed by Koen designed by Koen van Velzen.
van Velzen.

93
Plans of the new central station
of Breda designed by Koen van
Velzen.
94, 95
Situation of Amsterdam central station
before and after the extension. Design
Benthem Crouwel Architecten.
103
 PART 4

104
Multi functional terminal
or monument: the case of
Amsterdam Central Station

Introduction

The typology of the railway station is progressively changing.

Technical and functional updates, constantly changing heterogeneous
commercial activities, restyling and the accommodation of high-speed
railways are some of the transformations that existing railway stations
are undergoing. In addition, there is a constant need for updating the
connections between railway stations and public transportation under
and above the ground. As a direct consequence, building programmes
are becoming so complex that it almost seems impossible to provide
an appropriate solution to these problems in terms of architecture.
From a functional point of view, the most recurrent choice today is
the multiuse terminal, a building often characterized by an unclear
relationship with the urban texture and in which the travelling function
becomes secondary. Besides other issues, in this framework it makes
sense to raise questions about the future of the existing railway station,
a building strongly related to its urban context and often part of the
collective memory of the city.

The above-mentioned situation applies to several railway stations in

The Netherlands. The attempt of finding an answer to the complicated
programmes is often translated into interventions that vary from a
partial substitution to the complete demolition of existing stations in
favour of new multiuse terminals.
Examples of this kind are the ongoing work for the station of
Arnhem by UN Studio (the office of Ben van Berkel) or the project
for the renewed central station of Rotterdam designed by the Team
CS (Benthem Crouwel architects in collaboration with Meyer & van
Schoten, Venhoeven, and West 8), this last one dealing with probably

105
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

the most interesting post-war station of The Netherlands designed by

van Ravensteyn and opened in 1957.
Only a few stations have survived this operational logic, usually
because of their historical and architectonic value. This is the case of
Amsterdam Central Station. As one of the most important monuments
of the capital city, Central Station is a building with an outstanding
character and is a well-known symbol of Amsterdam. In the meanwhile
the area surrounding the station including the historical building is also
known as one of the biggest construction sites of The Netherlands.
Starting with the description of the original situation of the
railway yard in Amsterdam and the original building of Central Station
realized by Cuypers, this part of the research will focus on the current
transformations of the site in question, with particular attention paid
to the way in which the historical building and new interventions come
together.

The railway and the urban setting of Amsterdam Central Station

In 1839 the first railway in The Netherlands was opened between

Amsterdam and Haarlem. The two terminus stations Willemspoort
in Amsterdam and Amsterdamsche Poort in Haarlem were situated
at the start and end of the tracks. Next to the railway to Haarlem,
the construction of another railway to Utrecht started from another
terminus station called Weesperpoort (1843), located on the east side
of Amsterdam. The presence of two terminus stations in the capital
city caused problems in the following years, especially logistic ones.
In 1860 the Dutch government94 commissioned a new link between
Amsterdam and the city of Den Helder, located in the north95. Due
to this new railway line there was a need for a third terminus station
in Amsterdam. For several reasons, it was impossible to end this new
line in one of the two existing stations. The nightmare of having three
terminus stations came too close to reality and the city rejected the
idea. In the meantime, the discussion about creating a national network
without interruptions in the capital became an increasingly important
94
issue and offered the opportunity of making plans for a central station
See also note 53.
95 in the city. The debate about where and how the new station had to be
This railway line was full built took at least 10 years. In 1865 a commission was set up under
operational in 1863. the leadership of J. A. Waldorp, who was chief engineer of the state

106
 PART 4

railways, in order to investigate the best place for the station.

Besides the railroad, Amsterdam had problems developing its
harbours. Despite the construction of the North Holland Channel
(1824) and the building of the new Eastern and Western Docks (1832
and 1834), the harbours of Amsterdam, where the average size of
ships gradually increased, has troubles with flowing-in tides and being
choked up with sand. Nevertheless, the Waldorp commission advised
the construction of a central station at the IJ, the inner sea facing
the city centre. The main reason for this decision had to do with the
increase in navigation in the port of Amsterdam and the important
support of the railway network being close to it.

The building of railroads has been right from its beginning the domain
of the engineer. Together with railway techniques, engineers also
decided which buildings and infrastructures were needed for railroads.
The need for standardization in building railways offered Dutch
engineers the opportunity of designing stations as well.
Although the results were good in terms of building speed, the
lack of architectonic experience could be seen in engineers’ practice.
In his book ‘Centraal Station Amsterdam. Het paleis voor de reiziger’, Aart
Oxenaar stresses that the discussion about the location of Amsterdam
Central Station on the IJ did not take into consideration aspects such
as the beauty of the city. Many historians, including Brugmans, still
consider this project an enormous affront to the centre of Amsterdam.
In fact, all the arguments and reflections were mainly formulated from
the viewpoint of the city’s economic development.
Finally in 1876, where the contract between the government and
the municipality was signed, the city of Amsterdam had already given
the permission to centralize the existing tram network at the location
of the future central station. Long dikes, viaducts, high and partly
moveable bridges were built very quickly, and the railway section
between Zaandam and Amsterdam had been put into use as early as
1878.

The image of Amsterdam from the water changed rapidly as the

physical barrier of the railway yard replaced the historical walls of
the fortification. The new railway yard influenced not only the image
but also the morphology of the city. A sharp and currently perceptible
division between the historical city and the developments on the north

107

96
The classification of Dutch stations
after 1860 in five standardized
classes is well illustrated in P.
Saal, F. Spangenberg, Kijk op
stations, 1983, p.28-33. For more
information see also Part 2 of this
research.
97
This assumption is taken from
the results of the investigation
made by Aart Oxenaar for his
book A. Oxenaar, Centraal Station
Amsterdam, Het paleis voor de
reiziger, 1989.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
side of the railway was originally caused by the presence of this
railway yard.
Like in other European countries, architects had a marginal role in the
construction of railway buildings in the Netherlands. As mentioned
above, stations as well as railway yards were considered infrastructures
and therefore built following a mainly functional approach. However
the case of Amsterdam was different. Generally speaking there was
not a clear understanding of what this project would really mean for
the city. The most discussions were about the status of Amsterdam as
capital city of the Netherlands and its grandeur on a European level.
After almost ten years of debate the council of Amsterdam believed
the party stressing that the station had to be a representative building
for the city and appointed in 1876 P.J.H.Cuypers as chief architect for
the project of Central Station.
The Cuypers project
As stressed above, building a railway station in the nineteenth century
was the task of a railway engineer. In the Dutch railway legislation of
programmes, which Dutch engineers applied directly to the design of
stations. In fact, Dutch railway stations were divided into five different
classes, all with standard floor plans96. It is probably for this reason
that there are no documents about the actual building programme of
Amsterdam Central Station. The commissioner probably considered
the conditions contained in the law of 1860 together with the
standard floor plan of the biggest type of station sufficient for this
assignment.
According to the agreement with the city of Amsterdam, Cuypers
had to work on this commission together with A.L.  van Gendt who
had experience in building railroads. Nothing is known of their
collaboration. However, it is known that van Gendt did not play any
role in the actual design work of the station97. The composition of
this building is clearly that of Cuypers, inspired by Renaissance and
Baroque palaces. The long-drawn symmetrical plan also has much
in common with the organization of some Palladian villas and does
not exactly correspond with the plans of a standard station. Cuypers
attributed the choice for this quite long building to the size and shape
108
 PART 4

of the location. In the text accompanying his first preliminary design,

he points out the fact that a sufficiently big square in front of the
station was required in order to accommodate other types of traffic
like omnibuses, coaches, etc.
As far as style is concerned, the commissioners of Cuypers
already decided beforehand that the station had to be built in ‘Oud-
Hollandsche stijl’ (Old Dutch style). Taking this into account, Cuypers
tries to find in the explanation of the project elements common to the
station as well as to a typical Old Dutch style house. Despite Cuypers’
efforts, it was clear that there was not much in common between the
two. As well, the Minister of Transport expressed his disappointment
in a note about the style choices of the architect. The Central Station
of Cuypers is in fact a combination of styles, New Gothic with New
Renaissance. Nevertheless, after months of discussion inside and
outside the official circuits, the proposal was accepted and Cuypers
could continue with his work.

The first design for the station had to be modified several times
before being built. Cuypers had some trouble integrating the standard
elements of the Dutch stations, such as the platform roofs, into the
main building. Another problem was the crossing of incompatible
streams of traffic due to the contemporary use of the station on the
same level by trains and passengers.
Comparing to the first version of the project, the floor plan and
distribution of the building in the final design were changed and
improved by inserting passenger tunnels. The train platforms were
connected to the tunnels through stairs, directly linking them to
the main hall. In the final design one can see the middle part with
towers, the right and left wings, and the end buildings connected to
the facilities wings. Cuypers brings together all these parts into a clear
composition. The façade is also very clear with its symmetrical set. In
the composition of the elevations, the entrance, departure hall and
royal waiting room are accentuated with higher roofs corresponding to
the most representative part of the building. The towers in the middle
zone of the building clearly refer to the architectural theme of the
station as being the gateway to the city98.
98
See also A. Oxenaar, Centraal
The utilitarian vocation of the railway generally offered plenty of Station Amsterdam, Het paleis voor
opportunities to experiment with new materials and techniques de reiziger, 1989.

109
96
Plan of I. Gosschalk for the position of the Amsterdam central station at the IJ waterfront with
the proposal for a bridge to Amsterdam north. Year 1872, not realized.

97
Plan of A.L. van Gendt for the
position of the Amsterdam
central station at the IJ
waterfront with the proposal
for a square in front of the
station. Year 1872, not realized.
98
Plan of J.L. Springer for the stock
exchange building at the Damrak. At the
left the proposal for a square in front of
the station. Year 1888, not realized.

99
Plan for the
construction of a new
part of the railway in
Amsterdam. Year 1882,
realized.
100
Plan of Amsterdam from
1900. The position of central
station as well as the railway
link to the port area are
clearly visible on this map.

101
Central Station Amsterdam
View front elevation, plan
train-platforms level, plan
basement. Architect: P.J.H.
Cuypers.
102
Central Station Amsterdam
View front elevation, plan first, second
and third platforms and main building.

103
Central Station Amsterdam
Plan middle zone, date: october.1889.
104
Central Station Amsterdam
View elevation railway side, sections
building of station and roof, views side-
elevations. Architect: P.J.H. Cuypers, A.L. van
Gendt.

105
Roof Central Station Amsterdam.
106
107
Station square
Station building Amsterdam
Station square seen from the Victoria
De main hall of the station. Detail van of
Hotel.
the pilars and the sealing. .
Date photograph: november 1981

108
Station building Amsterdam
Detail of Central Station: relief on the
Western Tower, proposing Agriculture and
Stock-breeding, Electricity, Industry and
Steam. Date photograph: 13.11.1986

109
Station building Amsterdam
Central Station - Interior. Guardhouse
and en waiting rooms: interior Koninklijke
Wachtkamer.

110
Station square
Central Station, seen facing north.
 111
Station square
Station square with tram
waiting room..
Date photograph: 1951
(circa)

112
Station square
The tourist office V.V.Vand and the
entrance to the pedestrian tunnel leading
to the main hall of central station.
Date photograph: august1956 (circa)
113
Station square
Works around the N.Z.-Hollands Koffiehuis.
Construction of new stops for tram and
bus and realization of the subway. Right:
Central Station. Middle: entrance subway.
Date photograph: 23.06.1981
 114
Station building Amsterdam. The main hall
of Central Station. Overview from the first
floor on the main hall - on the right way
to the train platforms.
Date photograph: november 1981

115 116
Station square Building site subway at Central Station
Central Station: The roof between the main Date photograph: 07.04.1979
entrance and the Koninklijke Wachtkamer
with the entrance to the subway station.
Date photograph: 05.11.1981
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

improved during the nineteenth century. Although not considered as

material par exellence, iron is especially widely used for the construction
of railways. Not only for tracks but also for building shelters, other
covered structures and even the main station buildings, iron proved
to be a very reliable material with much potential. Cuypers was aware
of this, but in the basics of his building he preferred sticking to the
mediaeval tradition of vaults. As Oxenaar observed, it is exactly in
the optimisations of traditional constructions the field where Cuypers
achieved high rational results. In one of his articles about the building,
Cuypers specifies that the materials should mostly come from national
resources, which is why brick plays a main role in the building of
Amsterdam Central Station. The architect designed self-supporting
brick walls for the elevations and relegated the use of iron merely to
the skeleton of the roof and construction of the awning. Furthermore,
semi-circular steel and glass sheds were built to cover the railway
tracks, a necessary structure that the architect could not avoid.

An interesting aspect of the Cuypers’ building is the variety of

decorations. Each of the different functional parts of the complex
can be seen in the façade thanks to recognizable and appropriate
decoration patterns. Like for the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Cuypers
applies a widely developed iconographic work to the station, with
as a main theme the Dutch railways and its relevant actors. For the
reconstruction of the facts and the proposal of the tables, Cuypers
was advised by his brother-in-law, the famous writer and publisher J.
A. Alberdingk Thijm99.

The realization of Central Station meant a lot for the city. The station
quickly became the main gateway to the city and one of the most
representative buildings of The Netherlands. As the most important
traffic node in the city, the position of the station would have a major
influence on remarkable projects like the rebuilding of the Damrak,
the Stock Exchange building of Berlage, Dam square and the Rokin.

99
The present intervention: ‘Stationeiland’ (Station Island)
A chapter of the book A. Oxenaar,
Centraal Station Amsterdam. Het
paleis voor de reiziger, is dedicated With some 250,000 to 300,000 travellers a day, Amsterdam Central
to the decorations of the building. Station is currently the busiest station in The Netherlands and is one

118
 PART 4

of the most important traffic nodes of the country. Trains, ferries,

buses, trams, subway, taxis, pedestrians and cyclists all converge here,
causing daily traffic congestion. Besides the high volume of traffic,
the lack of well-developed mutual connections between these means
of transportation contributes to the daily chaos in and around the
station.
Although the city has been constantly working on the site, the station
currently requires improvements to be ready in order to accommodate
the upcoming high-speed train. In reality, it is not the high-speed train
but the construction of a new subway line underneath the historical
station that is the main reason for a complete reorganization of this
traffic node. The new proposal aims to link all means of transportation
in a multilevel building. The overall project is the result of the
collaboration between Benthem Crouwel architects and the technicians
of the city of Amsterdam100.

The historic building erected on approximately 9,000 wooden piles is

currently one of the biggest building sites in the centre of Amsterdam.
Here, in order to build the subway station underneath, part of the
original foundation is being removed using an underground concrete
plate able to support the central part of the building. Only earth is
removed and not water, keeping the rest of the existing foundation
safe. In addition, besides accommodating the new subway line, the
huge construction site of the station has new terminals for ferries
and buses in the new extension facing the water. The building of the
new tramline to IJburg (a new housing island artificially created in 100
the IJ) and the refurbishment of the front square complete this huge The intervention of Benthem

intervention. Crouwel architects does not

comprehend the enlargement
of the Ibis Hotel right next to
The building of this project is divided into phases. Currently, the historical building of the
construction is ongoing for the tunnel of the new subway line and its station. This part of the Ibis
new station placed perpendicularly to the orientation of the historical Hotel, already owned by the NS
building at a depth of 15 meters below ground level. vastgoed (Dutch Railway Company
For the architects this is the chance of integrating all means of - Real Estate Department), is in
course of realization above the
public transportation into one traffic node, creating the opportunity to
train platforms one to four and
improve the quality of the surrounding public spaces. Another phase
is designed by the office Ruland
in this intervention will be the displacement of the bus terminal from + Partner Architekten, based in
the front to the back of the station, freeing up precious space and Amsterdam. Construction works
allowing a better interaction between the existing building and the started already in 2005.

119

101
For this part of the work Benthem
Crouwel Architects made a design
proposal. Up to now is still
uncertain whether this proposal will
come to realization.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
city centre. The new bus terminal will be built right next to and on
the same level of the railway tracks along the water, placing it higher
than street level. All motorized traffic will make use of a new tunnel
parallel to the railway tracks running underground and positioned
between the subway line and the ground floor level. Besides improving
traffic congestion, by applying this solution, architects created a larger
pedestrian hall on the ground floor simultaneously connecting ferry
and bus terminal with the new subway line and the existing ones.
As for volumes, the existing complex of the railway station will be
modified only on the north side along the water. Here, contractors
are currently working on building new foundations under the new bus
terminal. The project of Benthem Crouwel foresees the construction of
one additional mega-structure almost containing the entire extension.
In terms of form, this steel and pre-curved glass structure echoes
the existing semi-circular railway sheds. The proposed solution offers
many possibilities as regards the future openness of the railway
station towards the IJ and the new ferry terminal. At the urban level,
the project intends to create a long pedestrian axis which starting
from the water goes through the existing station and, connecting
with the Damrak, arrives at Dam square. Except the trams that will
remain, a long pedestrian boulevard will then characterize the most
representative part of Amsterdam’s city centre.
As for dealing with the historical building of Cuypers, the approach
of Benthem Crouwel architects is quite straightforward: trying to
restore the building as much as possible and bring it back to its
original state101. In the past, this building was often modified through
interventions that never took into account the relationship between
the existing interior and new additions. Except for some parts of the
main entrance hall, the result of these changes made Cuypers’ rich
interiors almost invisible. As well, the constantly increasing number of
commercial activities, all with their own different look, contributes to
the further fragmentation of the inner space. In the project of Benthem
Crouwel architects there is a strong will to clean up the existing halls
of the building and reordering the commercial activities following a
common interior layout. The aim is to reduce the formal disorientation
of the interiors as much as possible and organizing the inner spaces
of the building according to a clear structure.
120
 PART 4

Together with this commission, the Benthem Crouwel firm is working

on the railway stations of The Hague CS, Utrecht CS and Rotterdam
CS, the last together with Meyer & van Schooten, Venhoeven and West 8
for landscape architecture. For this reason, their work will have a major
influence on the way railway terminal buildings in The Netherlands will
look like in the near future.
Rapidly analyzing all the above-mentioned interventions, it is
clear that there is no univocal architectural approach. The question
of how the existing railway station as part of the collective memory
of the city can be architecturally assimilated by the logic of the new
multifunctional railway terminal cannot yet be answered. Every single
project depends too much on specific conditions and so there is no
main architectural theme. In this framework, Amsterdam Central
Station can be considered an exception. In this project, the Benthem
Crouwel firm tries to integrate the multifunctional character of
contemporary stations into the romantic idea of the railway building
as a gateway to the city. But looking nowadays at the building site of
Amsterdam central station we can come also to another conclusion:
the existing station as monument survives only when the surrounding
urban setting can completely transform.

121
117
Aerial photograph Central Station
Amsterdam
Composition with new situation at the west
side, project Stationeiland
118
Central Station Amsterdam. Aerial
picture of the northern building
site, July 2007. The foundations
of the future enlargement of
the building are clearly visible.
In addition, a piece of the North/
South line tunnel has been
transported on the place where
will be sunk under the IJ water
Image 27, 28
119, 120
Central Station Amsterdam - situation
Drawings project Stationeiland
121
Central Station Amsterdam
Ground floor plan new situation,
project Stationeiland

122
Central Station Amsterdam
Plan level +1, train and bus
station, project Stationeiland
 123
Central Station Amsterdam
Interior new station, project Stationeiland

124
Central Station Amsterdam
Interior new station, project Stationeiland

126
Central Station Amsterdam
125
Interior new station, project Stationeiland
Central Station Amsterdam
Kiss and ride new station, project
Stationeiland
127 128
Central Station Amsterdam Central Station Amsterdam
New bus station, project Stationeiland Image ground floor northern side, new
situation, project Stationeiland

130
Central Station Amsterdam
Image southern elevation and station
square, new situation, project
Stationeiland

129
Central Station Amsterdam
Image north-west side, new situation,
project Stationeiland
 PART 5

128
Railway areas in the
Dutch city: architectural
interventions in the margins

Introduction

The constant transformations of the city and the accompanying

architectural issues are generally spoken interesting topics to study.
With special attention to the Dutch City, the themes above are
extensively addressed in the research programme ‘Urban Architecture’
of the Faculty of Architecture, Delft University of Technology. The
research programme focuses specifically on studying the relationship
between urban transformations and architectonic interventions. Due to
an approach in which education and research activities are interwoven,
students and lecturers work together in the ‘Masters Thesis Studios’ of
Hybrid Buildings - Urban Architecture on current changes at a number
of crucial locations in the Randstad.
As the title of this section of the research already suggests, the
attention of one Master Thesis Studio’s, where I ‘ve been involved as
tutor, is turned on interventions in railway areas. This is of course not
a new issue and the topic is very recurrent in other European countries
as well as, I would say, in the rest of the world. Although there are
numerous recent publications mostly on European developments, the
situation of railway areas in several Dutch cities is so specific that it
undoubtedly deserves special attention. In the past few years there has
been in the Netherlands a particular interest on railway areas because
of the potential to generate attractive developments in relatively
centrally located parts of the city. The historical development of water
networks and the subsequent superimposing of highways and railways
makes the transformation of particularly harbour areas in the Dutch
city very important because it is often dictating the way the main
infrastructures are positioned in relation to the centre of the city.
The choice to concentrate our study again on the city of

129

102
For a more detailed explanation
of the fringe belt, see B. Von der
Dollen, A historical-geographical
perspective on urban fringe-belt
phenomena, in T.R. Slater, The built
form of Western cities. Essays for
M.R.G. Conzen on the occasion of his
eightieth birthday. Leicester, 1990,
p. 319.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
Amsterdam comes from the consideration that the above-mentioned
transformations are the most evident in this city. As matter of fact the
reason for putting the railway so central in the city of Amsterdam has
a lot to do with the development of its harbour at that time. Bringing
the railway right into the port brought great economical advantages
but also practically meant the end to the visual relationship between
the historical city and the sea.
Another interesting fact about urban railways is that they always
activate ‘fringe belt’102 developments, whether they are centrally
located or not. The ‘fringe belt’ developments are typical of railway
areas originally placed outside the cities. The typical ‘fringe belt’
buildings have no fixed characteristics and, according to their functions,
would have frontsides or, more often, backsides facing the tracks. This
development is the base of the origin of what we would call ‘buffer
zones’ around the railway areas. After this first phase the city develops
and reaches the railway track but the characteristics of the buffer zone
do not change.
When the railway is located in the city centre this tendency does
not show major mutations. Long blind walls mark the boundaries
between city and railways and most buildings have a clear backside
when facing the tracks. Nowadays there may be more attention to the
interventions next to railway tracks but, generally spoken, it is always
architecture developed in left over spaces of the city, it is architecture
in the margins.
The following part of the research will focus on the work of the
Masters Thesis Studio ‘Railway Zone Amsterdam’, treating this topic,
the architectural interventions in the margins, extensively. First, the
general themes concerning the project location will be addressed,
than I will provide an explanation of the ‘Master Plan’ proposed by the
students, and I will end this essay by presenting a selection of projects
that have been worked out by individual students.
The eastern harbour area of Amsterdam and the railway zone
In the past three years, the Amsterdam Masters Thesis Studio has
concentrated on the area around the railway zone in the Oostelijk
130
 PART 5

Havengebied (eastern harbour area). Viewed historically, the inner city

and the eastern side of the waterfront of the IJ have not been linked with
each other since the seventeenth-century expansion of Amsterdam. In
fact, this part of the city has always had the character of an outlying
area. Due to the harbour and industry being located there, people have
always sought to separate this location from the rest of the city for
many reasons. The separation was first realized with the construction
of the Plantage. After the construction of the railway dike around 1880,
this part of the city became even more isolated from the historical city
centre. With the further growth of the harbour and industrial activities,
the railway was expanded with various branches in order to provide
direct railway access to piers and warehouses. Over the years, the rail
traffic increased, and the further development of the harbour islands
was partly determined in functional and morphological terms by the
presence of the railway. The area in question has been split into two
sections by the railway dike. In the section on the IJ to the north of the
railway, where the islands KNSM and Java were built, the destination
primarily concerns the harbour. The islands Kattenburg, Wittenburg
and Oostenburg south of the railway, constructed soon after the
seventeenth-century city expansion, offered space to the harbour and
industry, and were later used for residential construction103.
After the harbour activities moved elsewhere, along with most of
the industry, the location – with its unique geographical situation –
offered a great deal of space for new development. The city council
had the intention of strengthening the image of Amsterdam as a ‘city
on the water’ by developing the waterfront of the IJ. New buildings
on the former harbour islands to the north of the railway, the area
along the IJ and the expansion of the Central Station were intended
to give shape to this idea. Large-scale projects such as the KNSM
and Java islands and the Borneo Sporenburg have been completed
in the meantime. In their design and realization, the urban designers
attempted to find linkage with the urban planning and the architectonic
characteristics of the inner city of Amsterdam. This is especially the 103
case with the Java island. This approach has largely been successful; See also J. van Eck, De
Amsterdamsche Schans en de
these projects have become highly desirable residential locations and
Buitensingel.
are widely known inside and outside architectural circles.104
104
In addition, the new waterfront of Amsterdam on the IJ is See also J. E. Abrahamse, A.
characterized by a strip of land between the water and the railway Jolles e.a., Oostelijk Havengebied
which contains the new Muziektheater (music theatre), the Passenger Amsterdam.

131
131
Drawing of Amsterdam with in evidence
the project area of the former eastern
harbour.

132
The eastern harbour of Amsterdam seen
from the sea (the IJ). Second half of the
seventeenth century.
133 a B C D
Maps of the development of the eastern
harbour area in Amsterdam (1826, 1877,
1903 and 1915).
134
Photograph of the eastern harbour area
of Amsterdam around 1910.
135
Aerial photograph of the eastern
harbour area of Amsterdam in 1980.

136
Aerial photograph of the eastern harbour
area of Amsterdam around 1980.
 138
Aerial photograph of the marshalling yard
at the eastern harbour area of Amsterdam,
year 2000.

137
Aerial photograph of the eastern harbour
area of Amsterdam, year 2000.
 PART 5

Terminal and a number of new buildings designed by renowned

architects.105 Despite the close proximity to the city centre, it must
be noted that these latter buildings do not link up seamlessly with
the inner city. Although this is often presented in another light in the
sales brochures, the size of the building plots and the ultimate design
and scale of these realizations have more in common with the former
harbour warehouses than with the canal-side houses. In any event,
we can ascertain that the waterfront of the Oostelijk Havengebied
of Amsterdam has been completed with the realization of these
105
buildings.
This refers to the recently
completed buildings in the Oostelijk
Havengebied of Amsterdam.
Theoretical framework and master plan Examples of these buildings
include the ‘Detroit’ building
In the design studio, the first data were collected and an inventory was designed by AWG Architects, the
‘Chicago’ building of Rapp & Rapp
made in an easily usable digital database. Besides collecting insightful
and the apartment building ‘De
information, at the same time we began with brainstorming about the
Loodsen’ designed by Köther and
location and its relationship to the city. From this discussion it emerged Salman.
that in view of the recent developments, a number of unsolved problems 106
have continued to exist, especially on the south side of the railway. The former terrain of the
Here as well, projects have been completed recently. The demolition of Stork factory is located on the
Rosenberger Island on the south
several empty buildings on the terrain of the former Stork factory106
side of the railway.
created the space for the construction of the INIT complex.107 In
107
addition, the housing project Het Funen108 was completed in a The Czaar Petergebouw (Czar Peter
triangular space enclosed by the railway, the Cruquiuskade and the building), also knows as INIT, is
blocks of buildings on the Czaar Peterstraat. Finally, the public spaces the first new building that was
in the area of the Czaar Peterstraat underwent a major renovation in completed on the Oostenburger

an attempt to provide linkage with the developments on the other side Island. In this building, designed by
Groosman and Partners Architects,
of the railway.
the ´Werf Binnenstad´ is combined
One of the results of the analysis of the area conducted in with commercial functions.
the studio, was that despite the intrinsic qualities of the recently 108
completed building projects, this location as a whole is lacking in The Funen project comprises an
coherence in terms of urban planning and architecture. The conclusion elongated apartment complex on
of the analysis was that no satisfactory solution could be found for the Cruquiuskade, an apartment
building ‘de Sporenboog’ along
the problem of the railway barrier. The presence of the large railway
the railway, and an inner area with
shunting yard, previously part of the Stork complex and no longer
urban villas, ‘het Funenpark’. In
used today, makes the separation between the two sides of the railway total this project contains 565
even more noticeable. In order to provide a better integration between dwellings. The Master Plan is a
the strip of new construction to the north of the railway dike and the design of the Cie Architects.

137

109
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen
(Dutch Railways) owns the ground
on which railway line, railway dike
and shunting yard are laying. The
municipality owns three meters
wide ground along the water.
110
K. Lynch, The Image of the City, p.
46.
111
Idem, p. 47.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
realizations to the south, the redevelopment of this railway shunting
yard could play an important role. In reality, however, the ownership
situation109 of this shunting yard makes possible interventions in
this area very problematic. Therefore, we chose to make a further
investigation of this area. By going beyond what project developers
and the municipality believed to be realistic and feasible, we could,
by means of experimental interventions, map out possible future
scenarios.
It soon became clear that answering the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of these
experimental interventions required a suitable theoretical foundation
to prevent every project from remaining an exercise in itself. The first
thoughts about the theoretical framework concerned possible visions
of the railway in relation to the city. My own proposition is that the
railway can be seen as a series of buildings that strongly influence
the form and spatial development of their surroundings. The direct
consequence of this interpretation is that all interventions in the city
that focus on building and/or modify the railway must be seen as
architectonic tasks.
To support this proposition, I used the writings of Kevin Lynch and
Aldo Rossi on this topic as I’ve mentioned in the chapter about the
background of this research. One of the important points of departure
of both the authors is that they view the city as an architectonic
construction that has developed in the course of time. While Kevin
Lynch in his book ‘The Image of City’ writes about the perception
of the city, Aldo Rossi, in his book ‘Architecture of the City’ focuses
primarily on its construction. Perception and construction of the city
are complementary concepts, both being instruments to study the
relationship between the city and the railway.
Kevin Lynch places the contents of the ‘city images’ in five categories
of elements: ‘paths, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks’.110 They
may be streets, walkways, transit lines, canals, railroads’.111 In other
words, according to Kevin Lynch, the railway, as one of the paths, is an
element that enables us to perceive the city. In the section of his book
where Rossi refers to the generating elements of the city, he emphasises
the fact that, ‘When we study a city, we find that the urban whole tends
to be divided according to three principal functions: housing, fixed
activities and circulation. Fixed activities include stores, public and
commercial buildings, universities, hospitals and school. In addition,
138
 139
The railway zone and the eastern harbour area of
Amsterdam. Linking the two side of the city.

140
In white the railway zone, in between the eastern
harbour area and the Storkterrein area.
141
Master plan for the railway
zone. Eastern harbour area of
Amsterdam.
142 A B
Master plan for the railway zone. Eastern
harbour area of Amsterdam.

112
A. Rossi, The architecture of the city,
p. 91.
113
Idem, p. 93.
114
The article I problemi metodologici
della ricerca urbana (Methodological
issues in urban research), was
included in the compilation La
formazione del concetto di tipologia
edilizia. The article was also
published in A. Rossi, Scritti scelti
sull’architettura e la città.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
the urban literature also speaks of urban equipment, urban standards,
services and infrastructures. To simplify matters I will consider fixed
activities as included within primary elements.’112 The railway is an
infrastructure, one of the fixed activities referred to by Rossi, and as
such it is also one of the primary elements. These are elements which
are ‘…capable of accelerating the process of urbanization in a city,
and they also characterize the processes of spatial transformation in
an area larger than the city. Often they act as catalysts’.113
If we place the assertions of both authors next to each other, we
can ascertain that the railway is one of the generating elements of the
city that often functions as a catalyst and provides the possibility of
perceiving the city. As a result, an architectonic perspective is linked
to the construction of viaducts, bridges and other elements that form
the railway.
Another one of Rossi’s interesting points of departure is the concept
of continuity of the urban space, as I’ve already mentioned in the
first part of this research. In his article ‘I problemi metodologici della
ricerca urbana’114, Rossi explains that all events that have taken place
in a city, or a specific part of the city, have a common nature and
that there are no fundamental interruptions in this series of elements
that are situated in the same city (or a part thereof). If we apply this
theoretical framework to our intervention area, we would be able to
view the railway as an element of transition and not necessarily as a
barrier.
The above propositions and thoughts about the relationship between
city and railway were addressed extensively in the framework of the
Masters Thesis Studio. The way in which the students formulated
their plan of approach with respect to the location was influenced to a
certain extent by this theoretical background. In fact, the joint Master
Plan for the location is based on the view of the city and railway as
architectonic constructions and on the conception of the continuity
of the urban space. These points of departure have made it possible
to include the north and south sides of the railway in a proposal
for an intervention in which the railway itself no longer has to be an
unbridgeable barrier.
One of the aims of the Master Plan is to create an urban fabric in
which both sides of the railway can be integrated. In the illustration
142
 PART 5

included in this text the students indicate in which areas around the
railway construction can take place. As stated previously, an important
characteristic of the location is that it is sliced in two by the railway.
As a result, all large plots of land have been cut into at least two
parts. For every plot of land, it is essential that a link is established
between the part to the north of the railway and the part to the south.
Different subdivisions or combinations of the railway create interesting
interim areas that contribute to the apparent narrowing of the railway
infrastructure and its physical impact.
Other themes of the Master Plan concern the establishment
of general rules, such as maximum building heights and building
alignment. The theoretical approach sketched above has, from the
viewpoint of the perception of the city, a direct influence on the way in
which the façades of the new buildings and the railway react to each
other. Via the façades on both sides of the railway, the architecture of
these buildings plays a special role in the interaction between new and
existing blocks. At the same time, the railway section of the project
becomes not only an engineering task, but is also an architectonic
theme that must be solved within the blocks. The presence of the
railway in or next to the parcels of land contributes to the hybrid
character of the blocks.

Design projects

Due to its combination of ideas and construction possibilities, this

Master Plan provides a starting point for the further development of
architectonic proposals. The empirical approach that has been used for
drawing up the Master Plan only determines the basis for the various
tasks. Additional architectonic solutions are not explicitly included in
the plan in order to provide space for their individual completion by
the students.
The plans that are presented here give an idea of the broad
variation of approaches that the students have chosen with respect
to the Master Plan and the location. Although the design studies do
not always link up with the expectation of the research, the results of
these projects have been very positive. An important question that all
students have asked themselves is: how can the theoretical framework
be used as a point of departure for the architectonic interventions?

143

115
See also J. E. Abrahamse, A.
Jolles e.a., Oostelijk Havengebied
Amsterdam.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
‘In het recht(e) spoor’, (On the right track) by Martin Elslo
Martin Elslo worked out his proposal by following the Master Plan’s
main principles in their entirety. First he studied how to deal with the
partial substitution of the existing railway yard by building a new viaduct
at the same height. He treated the new viaduct as an ‘urban basement’
under, above and next to which new functions could be housed. His
initial approach to the project was very technical. While investigating
how to combine the realization of the railway and construction in
general, he came across many interesting technical aspects that are
clearly visible in the preliminary design. He thoroughly analyzed the
problems of the foundations, the acoustics and the vibrations for both
the railway and construction.
The scale of this project recalls the one of the new interventions
recently completed on the IJ waterfront; the ‘Detroit’ and ‘Chicago’
buildings are good examples.115 The project’s position is strategically
chosen: exactly on the intersection between the Czaar Peterstraat (an
important urban axis) and the railroad underpass already planned by
the municipality of Amsterdam. In terms of architecture, the main
theme was how to make a building which fronts on both sides of the
railroad, thereby also functioning as a gate to the historical centre of
the city.
Martin looked for a very clear solution in terms of size and position
of the building. The outlines and shape of the building follow the urban
texture of the existing blocks of building at the south side of the railway.
On the north side and parallel to the railway tracks, he designed a
long elevation, characterized by the semi-open courtyard ending in
the gate and continuing on the other side in the Czaar Peterstraat.
Due to its strategic position and its great size, Martin decided to look
for a very representative function for the building; he chose the new
main Court of Justice for the city of Amsterdam. The programme
and requirements for such a public building were difficult to solve
on this complicated location. The parking garage, storage and some
temporary residential facilities are situated on the ground floor, partly
under the railway viaduct. Offices and facilities are situated directly
above the basement, which contains shops, along the boulevard parallel
to the railroad. Through the main entrance, located in the semi-open
courtyard, the visitors can access the main common hall positioned
directly on the railway. This main hall, interpreted and designed as
144
 PART 5

a raised covered square, is the core of the project. Here we can find
all the different rooms of the Court inserted as hanging blocks and
defining the rhythm of the huge glass roof. The materials and layout
of the elevations contribute to the idea of giving a solid image to the
building. While entering the semi-open courtyard and looking towards
the gate, the visitors can see all the layers of the project: the urban
blocks marking the underpass, with the visible railroad level covered
by the main glass hall located above. In this project, the infrastructure
and the building are combined in a very substantial fashion.

‘Urban Living’ by David Philipsen

The approach of this project is based on the problem of how to
emphasize the connection between the two sides of the railway. The
building alignment, the shape of the blocks and the re-use of the
marshalling yard, which were so important for Martin Elslo’s proposal,
are only the starting points for this second project. The attempt to design
a complex with a unitary architectural language is far more important
to this project than fitting it into the outlines of the Master Plan. The
main theme, how to link the two parts of the city separated by the
railway, is the inspiration for the symbolic architectural interpretation:
crossing the railway becomes an opportunity to create a building
that stands as a gate to the city centre. This ‘Hybrid Building’ is the
programmatic sum of the heterogeneous functions organized around
an inner courtyard. A cultural centre, gymnasium, supermarket and
other smaller facilities are integrated with offices and with dwellings
above.
David Philipsen worked out his intervention as a sculptural building
flowing together with the complex surroundings. Although the railway
(divided into two zones) and the park literally slice the project into
strips, there is a strong will to interlace all the different parts of the
site through the building. The design of the inner courtyard as an
important public space was crucial during the development of the
project. Besides serving as an access to the various functions, this
space works as a filter between the busy road at the north side and
the quieter south side of the railway zone. The problem of circulation
around and inside the intervention is solved by constantly looking at
the relationship between the possible users and the surrounding space.
Materials and details of the complex are handled with special care. The

145
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

result is a very interesting proposal that claims the autonomy of the

building in a context where the infrastructure plays a primary role.

‘Beauty in the Margin’ by Leander Moons

The current state of the location along the railway as a marginal
context, as ‘leftover’ space in the city, provides the opportunity to take
a completely different position towards the problems sketched out in
the Master Plan. Operating at the edge of the site, in a zone between
railway and water, Leander Moons designed his Beauty & Health centre
using the core of the building as the starting point of his project. The
crossroads where a slow traffic route parallel to the railroad meets
an existing road marks the position of the complex, which houses a
beauty centre, a gym and a swimming pool. Its form, structure and
dimensions are the result of a design process based on the multiple
transformation of a block of canal houses typical of Amsterdam’s
historical centre. The visual interaction between the passers-by along
the waterfront and the customer of the beauty complex is a very
important issue to understand the project. From the slow traffic route
passing along the entrance of the building, the visitor can catch a
glimpse of the deepened gardens as well as a wing of the covered
swimming pool. The building requirements are carefully combined with
aspects like the natural and artificial illumination and the acoustics of
every space. Cold, solid and warm materials are combined in order
to strengthen the experience of the customers when they enter the
specific spaces of the complex. The functions that are benefited by
a higher degree of intimacy are strategically placed under the water
level. Although shape and position of the building were not generated
by the Master Plan, there is a strong will to link the project with this
context. The way the slow traffic route passes through it, the visual
relations between inside and outside, the way the building meets the
water and last but not least, the completion of its form inspired by the
historical city blocks create the indirect but significant connections
between the building and this particular site.

146
 Project
Martin Elslo

143
Perspective view of
the interior

144 145
Fragment of the elevation in glass Fragment of the elevation in ceramic

146 147 148 A B C D

Plan of the third level with Ground Floor plan Study of the complex, step 1 - 4
the entrances to the court
halls.

149
Cross section of the complex, step 3
 Project
David Philipsen

150
Concept, step 1

152
Photograph of the model

151
Concept, step 2

153
Section on the railway and elevation
154 - 157
Photograph of the model

158
Photograph of the model
 159 160
Cross section on the main hall Cross section on the swimming pool

Project
Leander Moons

161
Photograph of the model; elevation
towards the water

162 163

Ground Floor First Floor plan

plan

164
Photograph of the model;
overview of the site
165
Site plan

166
Impression of the interior;
the reception desk

167
Impression of the building
from the footpath

168
Impression of the interior;
the main hall

169
Impression of the interior;
the swimming pool
 PART 6

152
The ‘5 x 5 projects for the
Dutch city’: the case of
Haarlem

Introduction

At the end of 2007 the HSL (High Speed Railway) will be operative
in the Randstad116. Thanks to the improved train technologies the
characteristics of the railway network in the Randstad will change. A
metropolitan-like railway system will gradually replace the current train
and, in brief terms, the trains will not anymore run following a fixed
schedule but in a sequence. The idea of creating a metropolitan railway
network fits well into the concept of Randstad, where the agglomeration
of cities forms the so-called Delta Metropolis, comparable in scale
with other European metropolitan areas.
The proposal of a new railway network with more frequent stops
could be an effective solution for the currently expanding cities of the
Randstad. Certain cities are tending to grow towards one another and
will probably take advantage of a metropolitan-like railway system to
develop their new suburbs. Next to it also the railway yards inside
those cities will eventually transform due to the new railway system.
Part of the existing railroads will have to be removed or adapted to the
new trains and some existing railway yards will disappear under the
ground freeing space on surface level. In this respect a proper example
is the case of Delft where a long railway tunnel will replace the existing
railway viaduct creating an unique occasion for the upgrading of a
complete urban district.
Starting from these hypothesis the ‘5 x 5 projects’ addresses the
attention to five middle-sized Dutch cities where transformations
connected with the modification of railways could take place in the
116
near future. This project is currently being developed and involves the In march 2008, while making the
work of several researchers at the Faculty of Architecture of the TU last adjustments to this thesis, is
Delft. The main goal will be the one of organizing a manifestation the HSL not yet operational.

153
170
The expansion of the built-up area next to the development of the railroads in five middle sized
Dutch towns (Haarlem, Leiden, Delft, Gouda, Dordrecht).
 PART 6

where five well known architects, one for each city, will be invited to
deal with the suggested design issues. As member of the research
group ‘Urban Architecture’ I prepared the investigation for architectural
interventions in the city of Haarlem.

In the near future, Haarlem plans to make better use of its strategic
location in the region to attract companies by promoting itself as a
good alternative to top locations such as Amsterdam, Hoofddorp and
Schiphol. At the moment, however, Haarlem has the trademarks of
a purely residential city. In the coming five years, about 5,000 more
residences will be built117 within the city limits. The wonderful city
centre with its wide range of facilities, located just a short distance
from beautiful dunes, a recreational area on the sea and the beach,
make the city a very attractive place to live.118
As a result, many of Haarlem’s residents work elsewhere. To keep
commuter traffic under control, keep the companies and government
agencies located there and still create room for new activities, the
city has to ensure good accessibility and quick connections with
Amsterdam, Schiphol and the rest of the Randstad area.

Differently than in other Dutch cities, the construction of the railway

117
within the city walls had already taken place at an early stage in
The ongoing exhibition ‘Haarlem
Haarlem, which had consequences for the further development of the
in uitvoering’ (‘Haarlem in
city around the railway line. This part of the research will mainly focus construction’) on the ground floor
on the most relevant developments the city of Haarlem has undergone of the Brinkmannpassage on the
starting from the construction of the first railway. As well, the following Grote Markt in Haarlem gives a
text is an attempt to sketch a general framework that can be used as a good idea of the city’s future plans.

pretext for architectonic interventions in Haarlem’s railway zone. 118

The figures of Statistics
Netherlands of 2001 show that
more than 70% of housing in
Haarlem and the construction of the first Dutch railroad Haarlem consists of single family
homes.
As of the Early Middle Ages, Haarlem developed itself relatively 119
quickly thanks to its favourable site between the dune landscape along Haarlem grew quickly in the
Middle Ages, in part due to the
the North Sea and the river Spaarne.119 These two geomorphological
fortification of the count’s court.
elements have also helped determine the current elongated shape of
Already in 1245 the city received
the city. Not only the shape, but other specific characteristics also make city privileges from William II. See
Haarlem a unique city. Already in the 15th century, the fortifications in also B. Speet, Historische Atlas van
Haarlem extended to the other side of the river, much earlier than in Haarlem, pp. 6-11.

155

120
Due to the increase in the number
of residents, a city expansion
was necessary as early as the
14th century. In 1426, Philip III,
Duke of Burgundy gave the right
to extend the city limits about
700 metres eastwards. However,
building activities in this new area
had to wait due to an economic
recession.
The map of Jacob van Deventer
(around 1560) precisely indicates
the city limits. On this map, every
important building of the city is
drawn with precision as well as the
contours of the fortification and
the city gates. It is also clear that
the walled area East of the Spaarne
was not yet entirely divided up. See
also B. Speet, Historische Atlas van
Haarlem, pp. 14-15.
121
In 1585, the Spanish occupied
Antwerp, which was good news
for all Dutch cities. Dozens of
experienced workers, particularly
active in the textile sector,
emigrated from Belgium to the
Netherlands, especially to Leiden,
Haarlem and Amsterdam. Haarlem
could definitely use this new
impulse for its textile industry.
122
On 26 May 1631, both cities signed
the agreement for the construction
of ‘trekvaert, padt en wagenwegh’
(‘Tow boats, paths and roads’). See
also W. van der Ham, Tot gerief van
de reiziger. Vier eeuwen Amsterdam-
Haarlem, p. 13.
123
In Halfweg, a 400-metre wide strip
of ground was not dug up due to
the possible risk that the water
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
other Dutch cities.120 Haarlem continued to grow until the end of the
17th century, although not entirely without setbacks. Since the brewery
as well as the shipbuilding and textile industry provided work, the city
attracted many people, especially from Spanish occupied Flanders.121
At the same time, significantly better connections were made in order
to support the economic growth of the region. In 1631, the working
of the ‘trekvaart’ (‘canal for tow boat’) to Amsterdam got underway.122
Despite the fact that a transfer in Halfweg was necessary,123 the
connection between the two cities by tow boat was a major success as
well as a profitable business.124
Haarlem’s growth in the Golden Age was huge, and from about 1640,
Haarlem worked on a plan for urban expansion in a northerly direction.
In 1643, Salomon de Braey designed a plan to enlarge the entire city.
Only a part of it was finally used to execute the urban expansion, which
started in 1671 and was known under the name ‘Nieuwstad’ (New City).
Contrary to expectations, the development of this new city district
failed. Many parcels of land were not sold and all work activities in
the Nieuwstad had ceased as of 1691. Then, between about 1730 and
1800 Haarlem was hit by a major recession, which had not only halted
construction in the half empty Nieuwstad, but in the historical centre
as well. It was only in the beginning of the 19th century that building
started up again. In 1799, Haarlem considered dismantling a part of
the city walls. In 1820, the definite decision to take down the city walls
was made, especially in order to put an end to the annual maintenance
costs of the fortification. The northern part was destroyed in 1821,
with the exception of the Kennemerpoort, which stood until 1866. For
the redevelopment of the bastions, the landscape architect J.D. Zocher
Jr. was called upon. His mission was to turn the freed up area into a
lovely park.125
The economic malaise influenced the population figures126 as well
as the tow boat connection between Amsterdam and Haarlem. The
number of passengers dropped and the competition from road traffic
increased, especially at the beginning of the 19th  century. Around
1830, the signs of the long-standing crisis were clearly visible in the
city. It is therefore understandable that people in Haarlem responded
more enthusiastically than in Amsterdam when the news of the first
Dutch railway came. On 20 September 1839, the HIJSM127 opened
the first railway of the Netherlands between Amsterdam and Haarlem,
156
 PART 6

meant as the first part of the railway connection between Amsterdam of the Haarlemmermeer would
and Rotterdam. The plan to build the first part of this ‘Oude Lijn’ come into contact with that of the

(Old Line)128 almost entirely parallel to the existing canal tow boat IJ. This was very convenient for
Haarlem since because of the new
between the two cities was carried out despite protests from the tow
towboat, one could not navigate
boat companies. through from Amsterdam to the
Even though the name of C. Outshoorn is often mentioned,129 the Haarlemmermeer. Cargo vessels
designer of the first station in Haarlem on the east bank of the Spaarne had to continue to use the old route
was most likely F.W. Conrad Jr.130 Architecturally, the station was not through Spaarndam and still pay
much to see. In contrast to the Willemspoort station in Amsterdam, the the toll, which went into the city
coffers of Haarlem. Travellers had
one in Haarlem was a temporary building, which served as a station
to transfer in Halfweg. See also Van
and a workplace. On 22 June 1840, the HIJSM got permission to
der Ham, Tot gerief van de reiziger.
extend the Oude Lijn further in the direction of The Hague. W.C. Brade Vier eeuwen Amsterdam-Haarlem,
had thought up a perpendicular railway connection for Haarlem, but it pp. 18-19.
could not accommodate through train traffic. After negotiations with 124
Haarlem’s city council and the promise to finally charge a toll and In 1632, about 36,000 passengers
were transported. In 1633, there
excise by way of train tickets, the HIJSM started building the railway
were 250,000, in 1648, about
line in the Nieuwstad that same year. In 1841, that part of the city
290,000 and in the record year of
was still half empty when the Oude Lijn, with a noticeable curve in the 1661, about 320,000. Even though
direction of Leiden, was built. the towboat service between
Haarlem saw the construction of the rail in the city as an Haarlem and Amsterdam remained
opportunity for economic development. After many lean years, the the most profitable, various other
connections were very quickly
city was desperately searching for economic improvement and the
established, so that around the
construction of the railway offered additional possibilities in any case.
third quarter of the 17th century, a
The desired developments, however, were long in coming. Around 1834, substantial waterway network had
the Phoenix textile company established itself on the Spaarne.131 The developed.
commercial activities in the Nieuwstad and around the station only 125
really took off in 1858 when the Beijnes royal carriage factory132 The basic assumptions of the

moved to the station square. design were already mapped in the

first cadastral map of Haarlem by
The construction of the rail in the Nieuwstad was accompanied by
the surveyor F.J. Nautz in 1822,
the first real station of the city on the Jansveld,133 completed in 1842. with help from his colleagues H.
The station had a total length of 140 metres, which was needed to van Dooren and A. van Diggelen.
be able to build a long wall as a separation between city and rail next See also B. Speet, Historische Atlas
to the station building. The central main building itself already had a van Haarlem, p. 38.
floor of 32 metres in length and 6,5 metres in width, characterised by 126
Also, the number of Haarlem
a median. Here, following Durand’s example, four columns supported
residents dropped drastically,
an arched façade, which marked the entrance to the main hall.134 This
from about 26,000 in 1750 to
station on the Jansveld was in use until 1867.135 21,000 in 1795. The low point was
in 1815 with a population of just
over 17,000. See also B. Speet,

157
171
Plan of Haarlem about 1500

172
Map of Haarlem; drawing by
Jacob van Deventer made in
1560 ca. The plan is quite
precise and the scale is
1:1875
 173
Haarlem, bird-eye view from
1573 by Willem Outgersz.

174 175
Plan for the Nieuwstad in Haarlem from 1644. Plan of the Nieuwstad in Haarlem from 1750.
176
Haarlem, the area of the Nieuwstad in 1854.

177
Haarlem, the area of the Nieuwstad in 1874.
178
The land-survey register map of Haarlem
(minuutkaart, 1822).
179
Manipulation of the ‘minuut’ land-survey
register map of Haarlem (1822). The future
railway zone is in evidence.
 PART 6

Railways and the nineteenth century development of Haarlem Historische Atlas van Haarlem, p. 38,
and H. Engel, Randstad Holland in

The situation before and after the building of the Oude Lijn in the kaart in OverHolland 2, (2005).
127
Nieuwstad is visible on the first cadastral map of 1822 and on the
L.J.J. Serrurier and R. Chevalier,
map of 1858. Comparing these two maps, it appears that little was businessmen from Amsterdam
built in the Nieuwstad during this period besides the railway. Moreover, together with civil engineer W.C.
one can see that in 1858, almost all city walls had been torn down. Brade officially founded the HIJSM
Unfortunately, the area East of the Spaarne, where the first station of (Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg
Haarlem was built, is not entirely indicated on the map of 1858. After Maatschappij) on 8 August 1837.
128
the closing of the Amsterdam workplace complex in 1844 and the
The first railway of the Netherlands
transfer of personnel and material to Haarlem, the original workplace
is also known as the ‘Oude Lijn’
of the station had become the most important ‘repair haven’ of the (Old Line).
HIJSM. The first station from 1839 was torn down in 1853 and in its 129
place came a number of wooden workplace buildings.136 In 1861, a The consulted sources do not
huge fire almost destroyed all of them. After this, only stone buildings provide clear information about
the designer of the first station
were left on the grounds, of which a large part remained intact until the
in Haarlem. Both C. Outshoorn
renovation of 1984.137 Today, there is still a large workplace complex
(1810-1875) and F.W. Conrad
of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) at the same location, Jr. (1800-1870) are mentioned
which the city would very much like to see somewhere else, given its alternatively as designers of the
location. first station in Haarlem, the station
The year 1867 brought along many changes with it. First, on 1 Willemspoort in Amsterdam (1842)
and the stations in Leiden (1842)
May, the new railway between Haarlem and Uitgeest was opened.
and The Hague (1843).
This last was an important link between the northern and southern
130
part of the HIJSM network and remained the only direct railway F.W. Conrad Jr. (1800-1870)
connection between Amsterdam and the North until 1878.138 The succeeded in 1839 W.C. Brade as
station was heavily renovated and expanded following the design of head engineer of the HIJSM. C.
P.J. Mouthaan (1824-1899). Even though some style attributes of the Outshoorn was already working for

1842 building were kept, the prominent middle ressault disappeared the HIJSM under Brade.
131
and an additional storey was added to the entire complex. The tearing
In 1834, the Belgian firm Poelman
down of the Kennemerpoort also dates from 1867 as well as the established itself in Haarlem, a
commencing of the work activities for the Kenaupark West of the year later than the English textile
station and the Ripperdapark beside the Phoenix site. In 1867, the magnate Thomas Wilson with
Achter Nieuwe Gracht was also filled in as a result of which the current his complex on the Muizenveld,
Parklaan developed, the green connection between the Kenaupark and between the Western canal and
the Leidsevaart. On the city map
the Ripperdapark.
of 1822, before the arrival of the
On the map of the city of Haarlem from 1878 all the above-
Poelman firm, a large building site
mentioned developments can be seen. The Nieuwstad developed itself can be seen that was later annexed
further with construction around the Ripperdapark and the Parklaan, by this Belgian business to the
and with the building up of the Staten Bolwerk and the Prinsen Phoenix factory complex.

163
180
Map of Haarlem in 1910. The railway zone is
in evidence.
 181
Map showing the development of the
boundaries of the council of Haarlem.

182 183
The Noorder Buiten Spaarne, the industrial One of the first working class housing project in
heart of Haarlem, circa 1905. Haarlem, the Assendelverstraat.

132
Johannes Beijnes started a carriage
and wagon workshop. In 1855, he
received the first order from the
HIJSM. After the move from the
Riviermarkt to the station square,
the orders kept coming in, not only
from the HIJSM, but later also
from the Haarlemsche Tramway
Maatschappij (Haarlem Tramway
Company), the Amsterdamsche
Omnibus Maatschappij
(Amsterdam Omnibus Company)
and other businesses. See also
B. Speet, Historische Atlas van
Haarlem, p. 53. In this book is
1857 mentioned as the year of the
move, while other sources mention
the year 1858. On the map of
Haarlem from 1858, drawn up by
C.K. de Geus, the factory on the
station square cannot yet be seen.
133
Approximately where the current
station lies today, between the
Jansweg and the Kruisweg.
134
More information about this station
can be found in the following
books: P. Saal and F. Spangenberg,
Kijk op stations, p. 16; J.W. van Dal,
Architectuur langs de rails, p. 14;
H. Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur
in Nederland, pp. 16-18. Romers
(p. 16) also believes that F.W.
Conrad Jr designed the station of
Haarlem from 1842. The station
is on the map of Haarlem from
1858 also very clearly visible with
the accompanying building on the
north side of the railway line.
135
Also about this date the sources
consulted are unclear. Although
the years 1867 and 1869 are
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
Bolwerk. The area around the railway was also built up further, as
small companies and workplaces established themselves, giving the
area the allure of a fringe belt. On the map one can also see that there
is little built up in the area between the North of the bastions and the
city limits right above it. Only an old hospital and the planned rifle-
field139 are indicated on this map.
In the following years, Haarlem got even more public transport
connections. In 1881, the steam tram between Haarlem and Leiden
was established.140 To make the seaside resort of Zandvoort more
accessible, a railway line was built from the Haarlem station that same
year.141 The construction of this railway line to Zandvoort, followed by
the building of the short railway line between the Oude Lijn and the
rail to Uitgeest in 1904 strengthened the separation of the so-called
‘spoorwegdriehoek’ (railway triangle)142 west of the station. In 1899, an
electric tram connection between Haarlem and Zandvoort was opened,
which was extended to Amsterdam in 1904.143 Between Haarlem and
Bloemendaal as well an electric tram service was started in 1899. The
beginning of the 20th century would bring along additional changes
with it, as a result of using electricity as an energy source.
The railway zone and the expansion of Haarlem in the twentieth
century
In the last decade of the 19th century, Haarlem had become attractive
again as a place to live and work thanks to the development of industry.
The number of residents rose and the demand for residences grew.
The provisions of the ‘Woningwet’ (Housing law) of 1901 also obliged
Haarlem to draw up an expansion plan. L.C. Dumont144 designed the
expansion plan of 1905 and road plan of 1906. Dumont’s work was
extensive and also regarded the planning of areas outside the city
limits.145 His expansion plan contained a clear zoning. Due to the
proposed connections over water and land, the area on the Spaarne
North of the railway was destined for work and industry,146 while
the Schoterkwartier, Leidsebuurt and Amsterdamse Buurt147 were
reserved for residential building. In Dumont’s road map of 1906, the
railway is clearly visible, including the railway triangle and the planned
railway harbour in the Leidsebuurt.148 A large part of his road plan has
166
 PART 6

actually been carried out. both mentioned there is a slight

In 1896, the Beijnes factory across from the station was further preference for 1867.

expanded. The traffic hindrance and pollution of the trains that ran on 136
See also the drawing of J. Houben
ground level remained unchanged. Around 1900, the proposal of the
of the situation of the HIJSM
HIJSM to build a new station could not have come at a better time. The workplace in Haarlem from 1853,
new station was part of a radical operation in which the rail path was in A. van Ingen, Het Oude Station.
built largely on elevated roads, so that by way of tunnels there was Revisiebedrijf Haarlem 150 jaar
space for circulating city traffic at street level. An elevated drawbridge zelfstandig. HIJSM 1844 -NS 1994,
over the Spaarne also had to be built. Moreover, the plan contained p. 22.
137
the electrification of the railway line. D.A.N. Margadant, the architect
For detailed information see also
of the HIJSM, designed the station that was built between 1905 and
Van Ingen, ibid, pp. 23-27.
1908.149 The general ideas about the station design were modified 138
in the mean time. Since 1870-1880, railway companies had noticed With ‘North’ and ‘South’ of the
that stations needed to be more appealing in order to attract more HIJSM network is meant here the
passengers. The sole purpose of a station was no longer to just offer North and South of the North
Holland Canal. On 15 October
shelter to the train, the station had to become the monumental palace
1878, the link between Zaandam
of the traveller. The first person to adapt this vision of the design of
and Amsterdam was opened, so
stations was the architect P.J.H. Cuypers when he built Amsterdam that the route from Den Helder to
Central Station. Amsterdam no longer needed to
Margadant’s building is a great example of the series of stations go through Haarlem. See also J.H.
that helped to determine the face of the Dutch railway architecture. In Jonckers Nieboer, Geschiedenis
der Nederlandse Spoorwegen
the main lines of his design, the works of Berlage for the Amsterdam
1832-1938, pp. 148-149.
stock exchange influenced Margadant. The expression of form and
139
experimental use of materials that the Art Nouveau stations of H. In 1877, the city of Haarlem gave
Guimard in Paris and O. Wagner in Vienna had, also played a role.150 permission for building a rifle-
That the Haarlem station would be built on a street rather than a field North of the bastions, right
square can be clearly seen from the planning of Margadant’s designs. near the station. On 11 October

He made separate building parts for departure and arrival of the 1882, the building of the so-called
Ripperdakazerne was started. The
travellers. While the Beijnes factory hindered the view of the departure
designer of the complex was Major
part, the arrival part was located in the Western part of the complex I.J.H. Gijsberti Hodenpijl. In 1884,
to come more into contact with city. In the mean time, a hotel was the first part of the barracks was
also established there that together with the restaurants, cafés and finished. Source: www.deripperda.nl
terraces gave the impression of a bustling city. Despite a number of 140
changes such as extended platforms, the beautiful station complex is The so-called ‘Blauwe Tram’ (Blue
Tram) is the collective name
still today largely in its original state.
for the trams that circulated
The HIJSM was not only concerned with the station and railway,
between 1881 and 1961 in the
but also played a role in residential building. In 1908, the workplace area between Scheveningen, The
East of the Spaarne had 1,300  workers, making it the biggest Hague, Leiden, Katwijk, Noordwijk,
employer in Haarlem. As early as 1906, the railway company had eight Haarlem, Zandvoort, Amsterdam,

167
 184
Plan of the roads
of Haarlem and its
neighbourhood made by
L.C. Dumont in 1906. The
drawing is projected on
the 1905 plan of extension
of the city.

185
The station square with at the right side the Beijnes
factory, circa 1905.
 186
Site plan of the first
temporary railway
station of Haarlem in
1839.

188
The station of Haarlem in 1867, picture.
187
Floor plan of the first
temporary railway station
of Haarlem in 1839.

189
The station of Haarlem in 1841, elevation drawing of the realized design.
190 191
Station Haarlem; photograph of the exit Station Haarlem. Signal cabin on the
building. middle platform.

192
Station Haarlem; drawing of the entrance building.
 194
193
Station Haarlem; photograph of the
Station Haarlem; photograph ofthe
roof taken from the middle platform.
entrance building taken from the bus
station.

195
STATION HAARLEM; DRAWING OF THE EXIT BUILDING
196
Bird-eye view impression of the railway
zone in the centre of Haarlem around
1906.
 197
The station of Haarlem from 1905, aerial
photograph.

198
Haarlem railway station. Photograph of the
interior.
199
Manipulation of the topographical map
of Haarlem (2000). The railway zone is in
evidence.
 PART 6

residences built for its personnel on the Westergracht, close to the Purmerend, Edam and Volendam.
railway harbour in the Leidsebuurt. Then, the HIJSM lent money to the As of 1924, the trams had a

residential housing corporations, which were involved in the realisation dark blue colour. The Noord-Zuid-
Hollandse Vervoer Maatschappij
of the Amsterdamse Buurt. A good workers’ neighbourhood beside
(NZH)(‘North-South-Holland
the central HIJSM workplace provided a guarantee for the continuity Transport Company’) operated
of work. these tram services.
Meanwhile, residential building in Haarlem had taken off. The 141
building of the Schoterbuurt, the Rozenprieel, the Leidsebuurt This railway was built by
and the Amsterdamse Buurt continued, and there came also new Amsterdam businessman
Gustav Eltzbacher who founded
neighbourhoods on the map, such as Bosch en Vaart, and later the
the NV Haarlem-Zandvoort
Ramplaankwartier. After WWI, the city’s growth continued, and with
Spoorwegmaatschappij (Haarlem-
the annexation of the towns of Schoten and Spaarndam in 1927 the Zandvoort Railway Company)
city got more than 30,000 additional residents in one go. Moreover, and the Bouwgrondonderneming
as a result of the annexation law of 1927, the neighbouring cities Zandvoort (Building site company)
of Velsen, Bloemendaal, Heemstede and Haarlemmerliede were in 1881. See also B. Speet,
Historische Atlas van Haarlem,
obliged to give up a part of their ground to Haarlem. The building of
pp. 58-59.
satellite stations, especially on the North-South railway, would further
142
encourage the development of these suburban areas. The ‘spoorwegdriehoek’ (railway
In this period, public transport was going through changes. In triangle) is formed by the crossing
1919, the Noord-Zuid-Hollandse Vervoer Maatschappij (NZH)151 took of the Haarlem-Leiden,
over all of Haarlem’s tram connections.152 As well, automobile traffic Haarlem-Uitgeest and Uitgeest-
Leiden lines.
began to play a significant role. The first bus companies started to
143
compete with the tram. Then in 1928, the first concession for three
The first tram of the Eerste
bus services was granted,153 and the management of the NZH decided Nederlandsche Electrische
then and there that the battle was lost. All tram rails disappeared from Tramweg Maatschappij (First
the streets of Haarlem to make way for the bus. The last tram ride in Dutch Electric Tramway Company)
the city dates from 1948 and in 1957, the ‘Blauwe Tram’ to Leiden ran as of 1899 between the

also stopped. Tempelierstraat in Haarlem and

the Raadhuisplein in Zandvoort.
The Post-war years brought much discussion about traffic in the
In 1904, the line was extended to
city in Haarlem, except the reconstruction. Accessibility was sacred, the Spuistraat, in the centre of
as in the 1950s, everything was done to encourage the access of Amsterdam. This tram remained in
automobiles to the centre. The plan of 1954 by Kuiper and Van der service until 31 August 1957.
Steld is an example of this. As well, in the structure plan of 1962, the 144
focus was on accessibility to the centre. This plan determined that In 1902 L.C. Dumont (1865-1935)
was named manager of the Public
the road North of the railway, right behind the station, had to become
Works by the city of Haarlem.
an important artery. During that period the area around the station
145
had changed drastically. The traffic flow of buses and automobiles The surrounding cities were very
increased, while the area around the station degenerated. In 1950, the displeased with Dumont’s plan,
Beijnes firm had moved its activities to Beverwijk; the factory building especially Heemstede.

175

146
In this area on the Spaarne, the
Droste chocolate factory had
already established itself in 1896.
147
The Schoterkwartier, North of
the bastions, lay partially outside
Haarlem’s city limits. Only the
north-western part (the current
Kleverparkbuurt and Frans
Halsbuurt) is indicated as an
area within the city limits. The
Amsterdamsebuurt was developed
East of the Heerensingel, right
under the towboat to Amsterdam.
The Leidsebuurt was established
between the Leidsevaart and the
railway to Leiden. See also the map
of Haarlem from 1904 in B. Speet,
Historische Atlas van Haarlem, p. 48.
148
The discussion about the location
of a railway harbour in Haarlem is
a long one. As early as 1884, the
Haarlem Chamber of Commerce
brought up the issue of having a
railway harbour. The area of the
Spaarne and the Waarderpolder
indicated as a location, East of the
centre. For loading and unloading
goods from wagons onto ships and
vice versa, the HIJSM presented
its own plan in 1902: a harbour
location between the railway and
the Leidsevaart. This was a much
more complicated solution than
that of the Chamber of Commerce.
According to the plan of the HIJSM,
ships had to navigate through the
Spaarne and the city up to the
Leidsevaart. Yet the city of Haarlem
approved this plan and the works
for digging the railway harbour took
place between 1903 and 1907.
As expected, this plan was not
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
was torn down in 1958. In the years after that, demolition continued
in the Nieuwstad. The entire area between the station and the Lange
Herenstraat was levelled in the 1960s. Various project developers
made plans for this area. In 1972, the city council approved the
building of the Beresteijn complex, a large-scale new construction
complex that was to become the Hoog Catharijne of Haarlem.154 A
determinant factor for the complex was first the traffic requirements
and then the buildings. The definite programme for the area included
100 residences, 12,000 m2 of offices, 1,800 m2 of shops, 1,000 m2
of hospitality services, an event hall and a parking garage for at least
400 cars. As the designers indicated many times, the idea of making
a link between the complex and the environment never played a role,
which is visible in the current situation. The Beresteijn complex is and
remains an odd body in the city.
In the mid 1970s, the new neighbourhood of Schalkwijk was
almost finished. Within the city limits, Haarlem was again fully built
up and geographically speaking, the Central Station was no longer in
the middle of the city.
Then the 1970s were finally over and there was again room and
attention for the historical centre and the 19th and 20th century
neighbourhoods on the political agenda. The policy note entitled De
inrichting van de Openbare Ruimte (Planning of public space) of 1991
as well as the Uitvoeringsplan Binnenstad (Realisation plan of the city
centre) of 1994 addressed improvements in the historical city centre.
Today, the area around the station remains a major problem.
The current situation: framework for interventions
Automobile traffic is one of Haarlem’s biggest problems, particularly
in the area around the train station. Not only is commuter traffic to
and from the city a concern, but recreational traffic to the North Sea
burdens the city centre excessively. The busy provincial road that runs
right behind the station parallel to the railway line is an important
East-West connection155. This overburdened road and the location of
the rail divide the city in two, as it were.
Particularly at the south side of the railroad, the station area has
been awaiting for years a solution where the requirements of a modern
public transport hub can be combined with an architectonically
176
 PART 6

responsible organisation of public space. Haarlem Central Station, successful, and in 1939 a proposal
which is one of the most beautiful stations in the Netherlands, is known was made to reserve an area of 15

today as one of the most chaotic station squares of the country. No hectares at the Lichtfabriek next to
the Waarderpolder for a harbour
other building except the station is built up in such a way as to create
that was built right after.
a relation with the public space157. 149
For extensive documentation about
In the current policy, the city of Haarlem wants to pay more attention to Margadant’s station in Haarlem see
solutions for increasing traffic and at the same time gladly concentrate H. Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur in
on central locations along the railway. Ideas, programmes and plans Nederland, pp. 224-231, and P. Saal
and F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations,
for the various study areas around the railway were established in the
pp. 69-71.
Masterplan Railway Zone of 2003158. Contrary to what people would
150
expect based on the document’s name, the Masterplan Railway Zone In his design for the station in
features various current and future projects, brought together in an Amersfoort (1901) Margadant has
attempt to formulate a coherent vision on the development of the city. already used Art Nouveau details.
After reading the document, one really gets the impression that this 151
The NZH was a subsidiary of the
Masterplan offers little consistency, especially on the large-scale level.
Dutch Railways.
Haarlem’s ambitions are mentioned in the explanatory notes of the
152
Masterplan, but in general, the partial areas stand on their own too In 1919, the NZH took over all
much. Moreover, there is no clear-cut solution recommended for the the lines of the ENET (Eerste
traffic in the city. Perhaps is it not a coincidence that the new city Nederlandsche Tramweg
council finally decided to stop using this document as a leitmotif for Maatschappij) (First Dutch
Tramway Company) and
development.
ESM (Electrische Spoorweg
In Haarlem, the area along the railway line has enormous
Maatschappij (First Railway
potential. From the construction of the ‘Oude Lijn’ in the middle in Company) founded in Amsterdam)
the city, the railroad has always played a special role in this area. and the company controlled public
Once the Hogesnelheidslijn (or HSL ‘High-Speed Line’) between transport in and around the city.
Hoofddorp and Rotterdam with a junction to Schiphol and Amsterdam 153

is completed, train transport on the ‘Oude Lijn’ along Haarlem will In 1928 the HBBM (Haarlemsche
Brockway Bus Maatschappij) was
become less important. Not only will the timetable look different159,
given permission to start three
the characteristics of the train connections will also change. The lines.
tunnelling of the railway line, and possibly the road parallel to the 154
railway, is perhaps a radical solution, but offers tons of opportunities The complex was finally designed
for above ground restructuring. Large urban interventions, which could by the architects of the ‘Hoog
result from a similar project, regard themes such as the entrance to Catharijne’ complex in Utrecht:
Spruit, De Jong and Heringa.
the city, the restructuring of the Nieuwstad after the tunnelling of the
155
railway or the redevelopment of the Dutch railways’ workplace site just
From East to West, this road
outside the historical centre. Moreover, new development themes can has the following street names:
also be addressed in order to further shape Haarlem’s ambitions160. Oudeweg, Prinsen Bolwerk,
Kennemerplein, Staten Bolwerk and

177
 Ra ilway s i n the ur b an contex t

Verspronckweg. for Haarlem, giving rise to a range

156 of themes for the restructuring
As already said, the current of the city. In order to show some
Haarlem Central Station was impressions about the project
designed by D.A.N. Margadant I will include few images at the
and built between 1905 and 1908. end of this chapter. This project
Margadant worked as an architect together with my interview to Jo
from 1879 to 1909 for the HSM Coenen will be included in the book
(the former HIJSM). See also P. OverHolland, 5x5 projecten voor de
Saal and F. Spangenberg, Kijk op Hollandse stad (coming up very
stations, pp. 69-71. soon).
157
This is true for the south side of
the railroad. It must be noted that
the design of the ‘Rijkskantoor’
by Rudy Uytenhaak is against this
tendency. This office building is
recently realized next to the station
of Haarlem at the north side of the
railroad.
158
Extensive information about the
Masterplan Railway Zone (2003)
of Haarlem is available online
on the website of the city of
Haarlem at http://www.haarlem.nl/
smartsite19787.htm
159
As of 1 January 2007, Haarlem
Central Station is no longer
considered an intercity station
in the yearly schedule of the NS,
making Haarlem less important in
the Dutch railway network.
160
In march 2008, while making the
last corrections to this text, Jo
Coenen & Co Architekten round
up a proposal for an architectural
intervention involving the railway
area in Haarlem. Following
the mentioned framework, the
project team of Jo Coenen (in
which I took place as researcher/
advisor) proposed a new station

178
200 201
5x5 project for the Dutch City. Jo Coenen, 5x5 project for the Dutch City. Jo Coenen, project
project for the railway zone in Haarlem; sketch for the railway zone in Haarlem; projection of the
for the definition of the intervention area. new main traffic axis on the existing railway area.

202
5x5 project for the Dutch
City. Jo Coenen, project for
the railway zone in Haarlem;
sketch of the intervention area
showing a long axis connecting
Amsterdam with Zandvoort via
Haarlem.

203
5x5 project for the Dutch
City. Jo Coenen, project for
the railway zone in Haarlem;
cross section of the new
station of Haarlem located in
the ‘Oosterpoort’ area .
 204
5x5 project for the Dutch City. Jo Coenen,
project for the railway zone in Haarlem;
plan of the design proposal.

205
5x5 project for the Dutch City. Jo Coenen, project for the railway zone in
Haarlem; three dimensional view of the main axis of the project (aligned with
the Nieuwe Gracht) seen from the ‘Oosterpoort’ area
181
 PART 7

182
Conclusions

Final considerations

The relationship between the railway and the urban context is not easy
to study because its complexity is rooted, as Aldo Rossi would say, in
the developments of the ‘fatti urbani’161. Many factors and data coming
from different disciplines are involved with this theme. Therefore my
attempt to read this topic through an architectural approach only takes
a limited number of aspects into account and the final considerations
about this research are strictly related to the architectural perspective 161
on which this work is based. From an editorial note to the book
The architecture of the city, 1984,
p.22, we understand that neither
First of all I want to make clear my conviction that the realization
the Italian term fatto urbano (fatti
of railways, particularly if dealing with urban context, is undoubtedly
urbani is the plural of it), used by
also a matter of architecture. In the past as well as in the present time, Rossi, nor the English translation
the project of architecture162 is considered too often as a marginal urban artifact renders adequately
step while dealing with railroads. As I’ve already pointed out in the first the full meaning of the original
part of this research, I think that the project of railways in the urban French expression faite urbaine.

context must be not only the mere solution for the programme given The French term implies not just
a physical thing in the city, but all
by the transportation needs but should be considered as a project of
of its history, geography, structure
architecture for the city. For the realization of all kinds of railroads in and connection with the general life
the urban context I think is necessary to point out a clear architectural of the city. This is the real meaning
theme in order to develop a coherent intervention in relation to the city. intended by Aldo Rossi throughout
Unfortunately the realization of railways has been always too complex, his book.
involving the expertise of different advisors often working too isolated 162
For a clear understanding of what
one another. One of the evident results of working in such a way is a
I mean by ‘project of architecture’
certain underestimation of the impact of railways on the city. This fact
see my text about ‘Specification of
is not only perceptible looking at the way the various railway buildings terms and theoretical framework’
are conceived without any specific relation to the surrounding city, but contained in the first chapter of
also confirmed by the attitude assumed by the railway companies in this research.

183

163
Aldo Rossi says about urban
artifacts: ‘They are material
constructions, but notwithstanding
the material, something different:
although they are conditioned, they
also condition’. See A. Rossi, The
architecture of the city, 1984, p.32.
164
Quoting A. Rossi, The architecture of
the city, 1984, p.106.
165
Quoting A. Rossi, The architecture of
the city, 1984, p.106.
166
Quoting A. Rossi, The architecture of
the city, 1984, p.107.
167
As matter of fact, one can observe
that the iteration of the theory
of Aldo Rossi about the locus
becoming self an urban artifact,
could open, in the specific case of
the Dutch city, other perspectives
of discussion. The locus in the
Dutch city is often a man made
construction and therefore could
already be considered as an urban
artifact.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
the course of time. Even in the current situation, in which the notion of
team working should be widely spread, the construction or modification
of railways seems to be organized in an almost sectarian way. Only in
the design and in the building of stations the relationship between
railway and city appears to be an interesting matter of discussion in
terms of architecture.
In this framework my research could be seen like a plea in favour
of the valorisation of the project of architecture intended to be an
important occasion to connect the project of the railway infrastructure
(including stations) with the city. I believe that the content of this
research confirms it.
In the second place I think that understanding how railway and
city interact with each other in a specific urban context means also
becoming aware of the identity of the place through the analysis
of transformation processes. When the first railroads were built
nobody was really aware of what exactly was going on in the city.
The construction of an important urban artifact163 for the city was
made following only the utilitarian needs, considered at that time far
more important then all other discussions about the beauty of the
city. Nevertheless the railway as an urban artifact determined the
development of the city in a strong way. According to Aldo Rossi, when
we look to the importance of certain urban artifacts we realize also the
importance of architecture in the ancient world or in the Renaissance:
‘it shaped a context’164. If we only look at the image of the Amsterdam
IJ waterfront before and after the realization of the rails to central
station, we can certainly understand the enormous impact that the
rail infrastructure had and still has on the city. In addition, the railway
yard as urban artifact finds in the specific location where it is built
(in the locus, referring to Aldo Rossi terminology) ‘the potential for
transformations’165. The locus itself becomes then ‘a singular artifact
determined by space and time, by its topographical dimensions and
its form, by its being the seat of a succession of ancient and recent
events, by its memory’166.
Therefore the understanding of the site (locus) becomes a
fundamental issue when dealing with urban artifacts like the railway
yards, as I’ve analysed in the case of Amsterdam or Haarlem167. This
last consideration is very important because supports the relevance
of the analytical approach in this research. One of the aims of this
184
 PART 7

study is to create a research base particularly useful as background

knowledge in the case of design projects interconnected with the
problem of how to deal with the presence of railways in project areas
of the Dutch city.

Railway and city: projects for the Randstad

The current debate about the future developments of the Randstad

must take into consideration the fact that we are on the eve of radical
transformations in terms of infrastructures. In this framework the
content of my research could be particularly interesting if we accept
the assumption that the project of architecture is an important device
to focus on important themes of developments, even if considering
only the regional scale. Jo Coenen, former chief architect of the State,
underlined recently how fundamental it is that the inner chambers of
the governmental authorities understand the importance of proposing
projects of architecture as starting points for the solution of several
problems on the scale of the Randstad. During a research meeting
at the Faculty of Architecture of Delft, Coenen admitted that the
governmental involvement with great national projects is often defined
by mere pragmatism.
Coenen doesn’t accept the idea that cities and urban regions
do not have to be ‘drawn’ anymore and that the role of the project
as a way of focussing on the process is each time less considered.
According to Coenen, drawing and process have been substituted by
observations on transport techniques and by diagrams on demographic
or economical grows. This working attitude is for Coenen the main
cause for the scission between a narrow minded territorial and urban
planning approach, more and more based on ‘cold’ calculations, and
the restrictions of an architectural practice at every turn retired into a
conceptual shell168. 168
See also the article of Jo
Therefore, while still directing the governmental department of Coenen L’arte del progetto urbano
published in P. Caputo, L. Nava
architecture, Coenen decided to invite four teams of architects
Deltametropolis, progettare la
to formulate design proposals for the future developments of the
metropoli d’Olanda, 2005, p.179.
Randstad (in the context of this initiative, and others, also named 169
Deltametropolis). With the title ‘Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’169 Translated in English: ‘Design
and under the leading of Donald van Dansik / One-Architecture, Studio Deltametropolis’.

185
206
Map showing the development of railroads in the Randstad. The drawing is superimposed on the eighteenth
century network of waterways.
 PART 7

the teams of OMA (represented by Floris Alkemade), H+N+S (Dirk

Sijmons), TKA (Teun Koolhaas) and Luigi Snozzi worked in 2002 on
design researches about the identity and the spatial development of
the Randstad. Five main questions were given to the design teams as
input for their proposals. Is the Deltametropolis a metropolis? In which
way (showing exactly where) can the oneness of the Deltametropolis
be seen – and what is its identity? If it has to become a metropolis,
what will have to happen in this case? If the Deltametropolis is not a
metropolis, what is than? Which dominant design operation provides a
contribution to the coherence of the area?170
170
The projects were all shown in December 2002. Because of his
See also Ontwerpatelier
clear choice for an architectural theme, I think that the project of Luigi Deltametropool, brochure published
Snozzi deserves a particular mention. The most important element of by VROM in 2003, p.7. For the one
Snozzi’s proposal is a new 40 kilometres wide superimposed railway interested the brochure can be
ring, positioned at an average of 30 meter in the height, functioning download at: www.vrom.nl
as the main infrastructure for the Randstad. The autonomy of this new 171
The concept of the Randstad
railway structure is such that allows the preservation of all existing
‘Green Heart’ is used by Snozzi
railway and road connections in the region. The ‘empty heart’171,
and emphasized in ‘a big central
wherein only the future enlargement of Schiphol International Airport emptiness’, a unique element
is projected, and the high viaducts symbols of mobility are the main of the Deltametropolis. No
spatial elements of the Deltametropolis seen by Snozzi. ‘To take into skyscrapers, symbol of economy
account the long term development of urban planning, we propose an and trade, but an empty landscape
where cows and tulips can grow
architectural project, In other words a project with short term’172. As
will be the most important
Snozzi underlines in the commentary to his proposal, the project is an
characteristics of the project.
attempt to define formally and spatially a metropolis, in contrast to all 172
existing metropolis173. This is the English translation of
Snozzi Dutch text in Ontwerpatelier
When talking about the initiative, Coenen recalls the vehement Deltametropool, brochure published
by VROM in 2003, p.53.
discussions about his request of asking architects to address new
173
approaches for the future of the Randstad. It is considered old fashion
For an analytical and critical
and in a way naïf to do that, Coenen observed174. reading of this project see the book
Unfortunately the gap between the four proposals, some lacking P. Caputo, L. Nava, Deltametropolis,
feasibility, and the position of the ministry of housing, spatial planning progettare la metropoli d’Olanda,
and environment was too large and therefore, after a broad discussion 2005.

in the media, no further steps were taken. Nevertheless I think that 174
Quoting Coenen in the article, L’arte
the proposals made by the four architects are witnessing the fact that
del progetto urbano published in P.
the project of architecture is still a valid tool to trigger and involve Caputo, L. Nava, Deltametropolis,
important aspects like dimension, scale, topography and suitability of progettare la metropoli d’Olanda,
the build environment into the discussion about infrastructures on the 2005, p.179.

187

175
For more information about this
project see the book OverHolland
5, 2007.
Railway s i n the urb an contex t
regional as well as on the urban level.
We have currently an enormous quantity of data and material about
the Randstad at our disposal, part of it product of research activities
at different Dutch universities. Nevertheless nobody can exactly
predict what will happen in the urban areas of the Randstad when the
infrastructural network will change. Today the transformations of the
railway network are such that it is legitimate to question the future of
the Randstad and its cities in relation to the train not only as means of
transportation but also as catalysts of developments.
In the development of my research I touch these issues several
times, particularly when talking about the transformations in course
of realization in Amsterdam. In addition, it would be interesting at this
stage to understand in which way the cities of the Randstad will be
affected by the superposition of the High Speed Train (HSL), especially
in the case middle-sized towns. These cities, rarely the subject of
coverage by the national media and often playing a minor role on the
level of national planning, represent an important object of study in
relation to this research topic.
Therefore it is not a coincidence that at the Faculty of Architecture
of the TU Delft we are currently concentrating on projects and research
regarding the transformations of infrastructures in the Randstad,
focussing as case study on five middle-sized cities. The researches,
part of the project ‘5 x 5 projects for the Dutch city’175, are concerning
the cities of Dordrecht, Delft, Gouda, Leiden and Haarlem, this last
treated in the sixth part of this thesis.
In this respect my research has to be considered as complementary
material to a number of other activities in course of development.
The main goal is to find interesting interactions between the research
activities and the design exercises in order to concentrate the efforts
of our work on envisioning future developments in the Dutch city.
The same goes for the examples illustrated in the fifth part of
this research. In that part I’ve tried to show how the topic of this
research and its theoretical assumptions are related with the work in
the Master Design Studio’s of Urban Architecture/Hybrid Buildings.
I finally believe that the design exercises taken as case study could
be particularly interesting as anticipations of future transformation’s
phenomena involving both the railway and the city.
188
207
The four projects made in the framework of the manifestation
‘Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’ drawn at the same scale. From
left up to right down the projects of: Team OMA, Team H+N+S
(Dirk Sijmons), Team TKA (Teun Koolhaas), Team Snozzi.
208
‘Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’. Drawing of the Team TKA (Teun Koolhaas) showing the
interpretation of the Dutch territory through layers and time.
Layer 1 (Laag 1) landscape: Deltametropool as green/blue structure. Planning horizon 50/100
years. Layer 2 (Laag 2) infrastructure: Deltametropool as grid system network. Planning
horizon 20/50 years. Layer 3 (Laag 3) occupation pattern: Deltametropool as patchwork
of urban agglomerations. Planning horizon 10/20 years. Layer 4 (Laag 4) administrative
organization: Deltametropool as machine room. Planning horizon 4 years.
209
Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’. Drawing of the Team
Snozzi: plan of the infrastructural ring on regional
scale.
210
Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’. Sketch of
Luigi Snozzi of the infrastructural ring
projected on the Randstad.
211
Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’. Sketch of
Luigi Snozzi showing the urban area next
to the infrastructural ring.

212
213
Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’. Sketch of
Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool’. Reference
Luigi Snozzi showing the plan of an urban
picture handed in by the Team Snozzi.
area in relation to the infrastructural
ring.
 PART 7

Proposals for further research

Typo-morphological research on railway yard developments.

When and how the transformations in the spatial relationship between
railway and city occurred and what they mean for the present-day
situation are an interesting subject for further research. Starting from
the assumption that the railway and its buildings are an integral part of
the way the railway system functions, I think it is possible to classify the
typo-morphological transformations of this infrastructure in relation
to the city. Next to fundamental mutations in the planning of both city
and railway, every transformation of the railway system changes the
way the railway buildings have to be organized and designed, shifting
the spatial relationship between them and their direct surroundings.
For this reason I would propose to divide the development of the
railway system in relation to the city into four phases: the linear phase,
the network phase, the metropolitan railway phase and High Speed
network phase. The areas in which these transformations took place
will be called ‘zones of interest’ and will be followed throughout the
complete process of analysis.

In the linear phase the railway connections are between two points,
particularly in the case of major cities with several linear railway lines.
Taking into consideration only the (railway) buildings in the zone of
interest, where railway and city are interacting, we could come to the
following observations and questions:
How are the railway buildings organized in the zone of interest?
(Stations, viaducts, bridges, underpasses, crossovers, etc). What is
the relationship between the railway buildings and the morphology of
the existing city? How does the existing city transform and which role
does the railway yard play in this process? How does the railway yard
transform during the process of growth of the city?

The second phase is the one of the railway network. This phase
is the logic continuation of the linear development of railways. The
joining of different railways allows an easier transport of goods and
passengers.
Because of its basic principles we can say that this phase is
still of current relevance. The realization of railway networks has

193
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

great influence on the buildings enclosed in the zone of interest and

particularly on stations, which are transforming from terminus to
‘passing through’ stations.

The third phase is the one of the metropolitan railways. The combination
of the existing railway network with the metropolitan railways results
in another transformation process on railway buildings in general.
Stations are becoming multilevel station (different railway above each
other) or underground station (generally only after electrification).
More buildings are interacting with the city as the metropolitan railway
lines are running often also in or under the historical city. Because
of this the metropolitan railways often require another architectural
approach.

The fourth phase is characterized by the development of the high-

speed train network. Looking at the use of space in and outside the
cities, the main problem for the realization of high-speed railways is
that the existing tracks often do not meet the technical requirements
of the new trains. Because of this reason the high-speed train has to
run on different and often new tracks. The technical characteristics of
the high-speed train influence strongly the existing railway network
and its buildings because it implicates the construction of completely
new structures to accommodate the high-speed trains. This is the
reason why there are everywhere in Europe important building sites
for the construction of high-speed railways.

Applying this classification to a case study, the investigation will aim

to look at the specific characteristics of each phase in relation to the
typo-morphological transformations of both railway buildings and
city.

194
195
196
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Image Credits
Cover Image: C . Sheppard, Railway Station -
Masterpieces of Architecture, Singapore (Bracken
Books) 1996).
1 Mario Sironi, ed Fabio Bezi, Edizioni Philippe
Daverio, Milano 1989.
2 Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané and Olivier van
der Bogt, Faculty of Architecture TU Delft.
3 Idem
4 Bosatlas van Nederland
5 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam
6 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu
7 Schemes adapted by the author
8 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu .
9 P. Saal & F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations .
10 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu .
11 J.W. van Dal, Architectuur langs de rails .
12 Idem
13 Idem
14 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu .
15 Idem
16 R. Dijksterhuis, Spoorwegtracering en
Stedenbouw in Nederland .
17 B. Speet, Historische Atlas van Haarlem .
18 J.W. van Dal, Architectuur langs de rails .
19 H. Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur in
Nederland .
20 J.W. van Dal, Architectuur langs de rails .
21 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu .
22 A.A.V.V., Tracé spoortunnel Rotterdam,
opdracht en negen concepten .
23 Idem
24 M. Hameleers, Kaarten van Amsterdam,
1866-2000 .
25 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam .
203
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

26 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van 42 H. Geretsegger & M. Peintner, Otto Wagner .

1834 tot nu .
43 Idem
27 Idem
44 G. Kolb, Otto Wagner und die Wiener
28 Idem Stadtbahn .

29 Idem 45 Idem

30 Idem 46 H. Francis Mallgrave, Otto Wagner; reflections

on the raiment of modernity .
31 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu. 47 O. Antonia Graf, Otto Wagner, Das Werk des
Architekten 1860-1902 .
32 Drawing elaborated by Otto Diesfeldt,
Iskandar Pané and Olivier van der Bogt, TU 48 Idem
Delft .
49 H. Geretsegger & M. Peintner, Otto Wagner .
33 G. Veenendaal, Spoorwegen in Nederland, van
1834 tot nu . 50 O. Antonia Graf, Otto Wagner, Das Werk des
Architekten 1860-1902 .
34 Website HSL-zuid
51 Idem
35 Dossier HSL-stations in De Ingenieur 22-23 .
52 O. Antonia Graf, Otto Wagner, Das Werk des
36 Idem Architekten 1860-1902 .

37 Idem 53 G. Kolb, Otto Wagner und die Wiener

Stadtbahn .
38 Idem
54 O. Antonia Graf, Otto Wagner, Das Werk des
39 R. Trench, E. Hillman, London under London. Architekten 1860-1902 .

40 A.A.V.V., Métro-Cité. Le chemin de fer 55 G. Kolb, Otto Wagner und die Wiener
métropolitain à la conquête de Paris 1871-1945. Stadtbahn .

41 J.J. Sort, Redes Metropolitanas. 56 O. Antonia Graf, Otto Wagner, Das Werk des
Architekten 1860-1902 .

204
 i mage credi ts

57 G. Kolb, Otto Wagner und die Wiener

Stadtbahn . 73 Benthem Crouwel Architecten .

58 Idem 74 Idem

59 O. Antonia Graf, Otto Wagner, Das Werk des 75 Idem

Architekten 1860-1902 .
76 Idem
60 Idem
77 Idem
61 M. Hameleers, Kaarten van Amsterdam,
1866-2000 . 78 Idem

62 P. Saal & F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations. 79 Idem

63 S. Polano, H.P. Berlage: opera completa . 80 Idem

64 M. Hameleers, Kaarten van Amsterdam, 81 P. Saal, F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations .

1866-2000 .
82 H. Tilman, Architectuur van stations in De
65 A.A.V.V., Tracé spoortunnel Rotterdam, Architect nr. 9, 2004 .
opdracht en negen concepten .
83 Het Dossier HSL-stations in De Ingenieur
66 GVB Amsterdam 22-23 .

67 Benthem Crouwel Architecten . 84 Idem

68 GVB Amsterdam . 85 P. Saal, F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations .

69 M. Bock, V. van Rossem, K. Somer, 86 Het Dossier HSL-stations in De Ingenieur

Bouwkunst, Stijl, Stedenbouw. Van Eesteren en de 22-23 .
avant-garde .
87 Idem
70 L. Lansink, Geschiedenis van het
Amsterdamse Stationsplein . 88 Idem

71 Benthem Crouwel Architecten . 89 Idem

72 Het Dossier HSL-stations in De Ingenieur 90 H. Tilman, Architectuur van stations in De

22-23 . Architect nr. 9, 2004 .

205
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

106 Collection: Foto-afdrukken,

91 Het Dossier HSL-stations in De Ingenieur Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. Author: unknown.
22-23 .
107 Collection: Archiefdienst gemeente
92 Idem Amsterdam; own picture
Author: Alberts, Martin (photographer)
93 H. Tilman, Architectuur van stations in De Copyrights: Gemeentearchief Amsterdam
Architect nr. 9, 2004 .
108 Collection: Foto-afdrukken,
94 Benthem Crouwel Architecten . Gemeentearchief Amsterdam Author: unknown.

95 Idem 109 Collection: Archiefdienst gemeente

Amsterdam; own picture
96 L. Lansink, Geschiedenis van het Author: Roëll, Ino (fotograaf
Amsterdamse Stationsplein . Copyrights: Gemeentearchief Amsterdam

97 Idem 110 Collection: Deenik, C.

Author: Fotobureau Deenik (photographer
98 Idem Copyrights: Unknown.

99 M. Hameleers, Kaarten van Amsterdam, 111 Collection: Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening

1866-2000 . Amsterdam; pictures
Author: Unknown.
100 M. Hameleers - Kaarten van Amsterdam
1866-2000. 112 Idem

101 Collection: Bouwtekeningen, 113 Collection: Foto-afdrukken,

Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. Author: unknown.
102 Idem
103 Idem
104 Collection: Bouwtekeningen,
Gemeentearchief Amsterdam.
105 Collection: Bouwtekeningen,
Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. Author: unknown.
Gemeentearchief Amsterdam, Author:
Unknown.
114 Collection: Archiefdienst gemeente
Amsterdam; own pictures, Author: Roëll, Ino
(photographer Copyrights: Gemeentearchief
Amsterdam
115 Idem
116 Collection: Dienst Ruimtelijke Ordening
Amsterdam; pictures, Author: Unknown.

206
 i mage credi ts

117 Source: Benthem Crouwel Architects

136 Idem
118 Stationseiland Amsterdam, year 7 nr. 26,
August 2007 . 137 Idem

119 Source: Benthem Crouwel Architects 138 Idem

120 Idem 139 Studio Amsterdam - Railway Zone. Faculty

of Architecture TU Delft .
121 Idem
140 Drawing by D. Philipsen .
122 Idem
141 Drawings by J. Homan and M. Elslo,
123 Idem Studio Amsterdam - Railway Zone. Faculty of
Architecture TU Delft .
124 Idem
142 Idem
125 Idem
143 Images Martin Elslo
126 Idem
144 - 149 Idem
127 Idem
150 Images David Philipsen
128 Idem
151 - 158 Idem
129 Idem
159 Images Leander Moons
130 Idem
160 - 169 Idem
131 Drawing by J. Homan .
170 Drawing by Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané
132 A.A.V.V., Eastern Harbour District Amsterdam. and Olivier van der Bogt, Faculty of Architecture
Urbanism and Architecture . TU Delft, also published in OverHolland 5 .

133 Idem 171 red. G. van Herwijnen, C. van de Kieft,

J.C. Visser, J.G. Wegner, tekst B. M.J. Speet,
134 Idem kaarten Th. Rothfusz, Historische stedenatlas
van Nederland, aflevering I, Haarlem; Delftse
135 Idem Universitaire Pers, 1982 .

207
 Railway s i n the urb an contex t

172 B. Speet, Historische atlas van Haarlem - 187 Idem

100 jaar Spaarnestad, Amsterdam (Uitgeverij
SUN) 2006. 188 H.Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur in
Nederland 1841/1938 .
173 Kennemer Atlas, Noord-Hollands archief,
also published in OverHolland 5 . 189 Idem

174 red. G. van Herwijnen, C. van de Kieft,
J.C. Visser, J.G. Wegner, tekst B. M.J. Speet,
kaarten Th. Rothfusz, Historische stedenatlas
van Nederland, aflevering I, Haarlem; Delftse
Universitaire Pers, 1982 .
175 Idem
190 J. W. van Dal, Architectuur langs de rails.
Overzicht van de stationsarchitectuur in Nederland.
191 Idem
192 H. Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur in
Nederland 1841/1938.

176 Idem 193 P. Saal, F. Spangenberg, Kijk op stations.

194 Idem
177 Idem
195 H. Romers, Spoorwegarchitectuur in
178 B.Speet, Historische Atlas van Haarlem . Nederland 1841/1938.

179 drawing by Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané 196 B.Speet, Historische Atlas van Haarlem
and Olivier van der Bogt, Faculty of Architecture
TU Delft, also published in OverHolland 5 . 197 Aviodrome, Lelystad, also published in
OverHolland 5 .
180 Idem
198 Jo Coenen & Co .
181 B.Speet, Historische Atlas van Haarlem .
199 Drawing by Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané
182 Idem and Olivier van der Bogt, Faculty of Architecture
TU Delft, also published in OverHolland 5 .
183 Idem
200 Jo Coenen & Co .
184 Idem
201 Idem
185 Idem
202 Idem
186 A. van Ingen, Het Oude Station .
203 Idem

208
 i mage credi ts

204 Idem

205 Idem

206 drawing by Otto Diesfeldt, Iskandar Pané

and Olivier van der Bogt, Faculty of Architecture
TU Delft, also published in OverHolland 5 .

207 AA VV , Ontwerpatelier Deltametropool .

208 Idem

209 Idem

210 Idem

211 Idem

212 Idem

213 Idem

209
210
Nederlandse samenvatting

Spoorwegen in de stedelijke context

Een architectonisch discours

Spoorwegen en stad bestaan ongeveer anderhalve eeuw naast

elkaar. Als wij vandaag de dag hun onderlinge relatie analyseren is het
belangrijk te begrijpen hoe het spoor, als fysiek element in de stad,
ruimtelijk wordt ervaren. De bouw van spoorwegen in de negentiende
eeuw is een waardevolle bijdrage geweest aan de ontwikkeling van de
stad. Kilometers spoorwegen werden toen snel gerealiseerd zonder
rekening te houden met het toekomstige beeld van de stad. Het resultaat
is dat het spoor tegenwoordig is verwikkeld met de stad terwijl zijn rol
drastisch is veranderd. Wat vroeger een essentiële bijdrage leverde aan
de ontwikkeling van de stad wordt vandaag, hoewel onontbeerlijk, vaak
beschouwd als een obstakel, als een belemmering in de planning van
de stad.

Vanaf dit punt ontstaat een aantal cruciale vragen. Wat is

dan de relatie tussen de bouw van de stad en de realisatie van de
spoorwegen? Welke rol nemen de spoorwegen en de bijbehorende
gebouwen in gedurende het ontwikkelingsproces van de stad? Met
welke transformaties heeft de stad te maken en welke plaats nemen
de spoorwegen en zijn gebouwen daar in?
Het zoeken naar de antwoorden op deze vragen vormt het
beginpunt van dit onderzoek dat zich concentreert op Nederland en in
het bijzonder op de Randstad waar het spoornetwerk een fundamentele
rol speelt.

Tegenwoordig staat de vraag naar efficiënt openbaar vervoer centraal

in de dynamische ontwikkeling van de stad. Zoals honderdenvijftig jaar
geleden krijgt de discussie over stedelijke verkeersstromen, en in het

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 Ra ilway s i n the ur b an contex t

bijzonder over de spoorwegen, veel aandacht in Nederland en in de

rest van Europa. De vele prijsvragen voor de accommodatie van de
HSL spoorinfrastructuren bevestigen dat. Daarnaast is het ontwerp
van een dergelijke infrastructuur vaak de aanleiding om een project
voor de transformatie van de stad te formuleren. Het architectonische
ontwerp van de spoorinfrastructuur speelt mijn inziens een belangrijke
rol in deze discussie en daarom is in dit onderzoek gekozen als het
centraal onderwerp van studie.

Om de uiteengezette vragen te kunnen beantwoorden is het

noodzakelijk kennis te nemen van de ontwikkeling van de spoorwegen
in de laatste honderdenvijftig jaar. De relatie tussen de spoorwegen en
de stedelijke context is een complex onderwerp. Diverse factoren uit
verschillende disciplines hebben daarmee te maken. De combinatie
van politieke, economische, geografische en technische factoren maakt
elke situatie dermate specifiek, waardoor het niet makkelijk is om dit
complexe thema te bestuderen. Hierom en voor de duidelijkheid heb
ik besloten dit onderzoek te beginnen met een compact overzicht van
de ontwikkeling van de spoorwegen in Nederland. Mede door de keuze
van de belangrijkste momenten vanuit het architectonische en het
stedenbouwkundige oogpunt, bestudeer ik in het tweede hoofdstuk
hoe de realisatie van spoorwegen is gerelateerd aan de ontwikkeling
van de Hollandse Stad.

In mijn optiek zijn er drie belangrijke thema’s waar het

architectonische ontwerp een essentiële rol speelt. Het eerste
onderwerp betreft de metrolijnen. De realisatie van metrolijnen in
de stedelijke context leidt tot architectonische problemen zonder
precedenten. Hoe moet het nieuwe vervoermiddel worden geïntegreerd
met de bestaande stad? Aan welke architectonische richtlijnen moet
het ontwerp van de bijbehorende gebouwen voldoen? In hoofdstuk
drie focus ik op de architectonische aspecten van de realisatie van
metrolijnen als onderdeel van het stedelijke project.
Het tweede onderwerp, dat aan de orde komt in het vierde hoofdstuk,
betreft het spoorwegstation als belangrijk symbool van de moderne
stad. De analyse van de transformaties van het Amsterdamse Centraal
Station is voor mij in dit kader de aanleiding om de volgende vraag
te stellen: is er nog plaats voor het monumentale station of moeten
wij de huidige ontwerptendensen accepteren waarin het station wordt

212
 ned er landse samenvatti ng

gezien als een multifunctioneel gebouw dat alleen moet voldoen aan
de complexiteit van de hedendaagse eisen?
In het vijfde hoofdstuk behandel ik het derde belangrijke onderwerp:
de architectonische interventies rondom centraal gelegen spoorwegen
in stedelijke gebieden. Dit thema wordt behandeld via de discussie
van projecten gemaakt door studenten van het MSc3 en MSc4 atelier
Urban Architecture/Hybrid Buildings aan de Faculteit Bouwkunde
van de TU Delft. Deze projecten zijn tevens een poging om de inhoud
van dit onderzoek direct te verbinden met het onderwijs in de master
studio’s.
Hoofdstuk zes heeft ook te maken met een onderzoeksproject,
het project ‘5 x 5 projects for the Dutch City’, waaraan op dit moment
invulling wordt gegeven aan de Faculteit Bouwkunde van de TU Delft.
De analyse van de ontwikkeling van de spoorwegen in Haarlem wordt
aangeboden als basis voor toekomstige architectonische interventies
in het gebied rondom het spoor.

Tenslotte probeer ik in de conclusies de samenhang aan te tonen

tussen de inhoud van dit onderzoek en een aantal hedendaagse
thema’s. Het architectonische ontwerp (niet alleen in het geval van de
infrastructuur) zou een belangrijkere rol moeten spelen als startpunt
van zowel beeld- als beleidvorming in de toekomstige transformaties
van de Randstad.

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214
About the author

Roberto Cavallo (1967, Salerno) graduated in 1991 as an architect

at the Faculty of Architecture of Naples (Italy) with a thesis developed
during his stay as international exchange student at the Faculty of
Architecture of the TU Delft. He practiced at the offices of Cees Dam
& Partners (Amsterdam) and Studio di Architettura (Amsterdam).
In 1996 he became partner of Studio di Architettura (Amsterdam)
and 1999 he founded a new office with the name of Studio AI in
Amsterdam. With Studio AI he worked on several projects; among
others the pop venue Paradiso in Amsterdam and the office building on
the Teilingerstraat in Rotterdam (both projects published in the Dutch
architectural magazine ‘De Architect’). From 1991 he participated
in various international seminars of the UIA (International Union of
Architects) and several national and international competitions.
Since 1996 he works as an assistant professor at the Faculty
of Architecture of the TU Delft. He has been the coordinator of the
module A1 and currently he is responsible for the MSc3 and MSc4
Urban Architecture - Hybrid Buildings for the Dutch City. He combines
teaching for various design exercises and theoretical tutorials with
the supervision on several graduation projects. He is now one of the
main tutors for the final project at Master Urban Architecture, Hybrid
Buildings for the Dutch City. As researcher he participated in a number
of international congresses and is a member of the research group
Urban Architecture, currently active at the Faculty of Architecture of the
TU Delft. In addition he participated successfully to the International
Doctorate in Architecture Villard d’Honnecourt. He is the (co-) author
of several scientific publications, varying from books to journals and
magazines.

215