Development of station areas
By developing station areas, we are stimulating the use of public transport and reducing pressure on other infrastructure. One of the ways we do this is by combining urban functions such as living, working, recreation and education in station area development. NS is also contributing to the major sustainability and housing construction challenges facing the Netherlands by making its own lands available for such projects:
The Cartesius Triangle in Utrecht is being redeveloped into a city district with 2,850 homes. The heritage-listed CAB building serves as the ‘living room’ for this city district and its surroundings (offering some 25,000 m2 of facilities). The first 322 homes were completed in 2024 and construction of the next 770 homes started. The remaining 1,750 homes will be built from 2025 onwards.
A project for the Tweede Daalsedijk district in Utrecht includes the construction of 1,200 homes. More than 20,000 m2 of existing property will be converted here to mixed-use functions. Meanwhile, 150 homes have been completed while 537 are under construction. The remaining homes will be built from 2026 onwards.
The Wagenwerkplaats in Amersfoort is a long and narrow piece of land between the railway and the Soesterkwartier district. The area will see the construction of around 1,100 homes, the transformation of 8,000 m2 of historic real estate, and 38,000 m2 of mixed functions (existing buildings and new construction). The zoning plan for the Wagenwerkplaats West and Midden districts and the urban development plan for the Wagenwerkplaats Oost district were adopted in July 2024. The allocation of land in West and Midden will start in 2025.
NS and the municipality of Zwolle are redeveloping the Zwolle Spoorzone district into a new station area with 1,000 to 1,500 homes and 80,000 m² for offices, education, culture and cafés/restaurants. The municipality of Zwolle adopted the zoning plan in December 2024. Renovation of part of the existing buildings will start in 2025.
Construction at the EKP North site in Den Bosch’s railway zone started in November 2024. A living, working and learning area will be created here, including the Art Academy and more than 800 homes. This is a collaborative project between the municipality, PostNL, NS Stations and property developer SDK.
Projects in 2025 and beyond
NS is also involved in the development of projects including 'De Nieuwe kern' (between the Duivendrecht, Johan Cruijf Arena, A2 and Amstel Business Park stations), the east side of Laan van NOI in The Hague, the Spoorzone district in Beverwijk and Fuutlaan in Eindhoven. These projects are expected to start up in 2025. At The Hague Central, NS is making plans for the large-scale renovation of Stichthage office so that it meets the Paris climate agreement targets. The planning process and tendering procedures will continue in 2025.
Building over the tracks
Building over and alongside the tracks near stations helps cities grow while remaining accessible in a sustainable manner. We worked with the municipality of The Hague and ProRail in 2024 to draw up a development strategy for The Hague, which includes scope for building over the tracks at The Hague Central. For Amsterdam Sloterdijk, we took steps in 2024 to further implement the study agreed with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management to investigate, together with partners, the feasibility of large-scale urbanisation above the tracks. This would be combined with improvements to the station itself.