Amstel

The station is named after the river Amstel, which flows close by. The railway station's full name is Amsterdam Amstel, popularly known as Amstelstation.

A cathedral for train, tram and metro

In October 1939 Queen Wilhelmina opened Amstel station, and the old Weesperpoort station, the departure point for Utrecht and Arnhem since 1843, closed. Railway architect H.G.J. Schelling and city architect Jan Leupen designed a building meant to work as a hub: trams, buses, taxis and bikes circulated around the great hall. Schelling set the transfer area at right angles to the tracks, and hall and canopy form a single gesture, with a hall that feels like a cathedral.

The metro arrived in 1977. Today lines 51, 53 and 54 stop here, alongside NS intercity and sprinter trains, tram 12 and city and regional buses.

The art is as old as the building. In 1939 Peter Alma painted large murals about technological progress, especially the railways, which also helped guide people between inside and outside and between hall and tunnel. Theo van Reijn made two sculptures in the same year. Later a 1958 tile panel by Alma was added, which hung in the Marnixbad swimming pool until 2003. Following a decision in 2014, the station was restored by Office Winhov and Gottlieb Paludan Architects.