Renewal without interruption

Technical heart of the West node

Commissioned by BAM Civiel, Klaver Technisch Bedrijf took care of the entire electrical installation of the Westknoop, an important junction within the monumental Central Station of Amsterdam. The technical challenge was therefore great: to relocate and renew almost all the strong and weak current installations, without these installations of the Westknoop or even the entire Central Station going out of operation.

"Within our scope, we modified and renewed a lot of electrical installations ranging from 230 to 10,000 volts," says Arjan Pronk, project manager at Klaver Technisch Bedrijf. "Many of those cables and pipes were located against the ceiling of the platform. Because the platform was completely demolished over a length of about 80 meters, in the preliminary phase we first had to reroute all cables and pipes over a temporary route in
the passenger tunnel."

New technology room

Because of the widening of the transfer area in the West node, the existing technology room also had to give way. "We built this new one 20 meters away and then disconnected the systems step by step and converted them to the new technology room. That was quite a challenge, because many installations in the station were old and not always labeled, which led to intensive searching and measuring work," recalls Chris Bankras, work planner at Klaver Technisch Bedrijf. Critical installations such as fiber optics, fire alarm and evacuation systems also had to be relocated and renewed. The entire evacuation system at platform level was moved to a new room, more than 100 meters away. And that too required uninterrupted functionality. But Klaver Technisch Bedrijf was entrusted with that. "We have our own mechanics and can switch quickly," says Pronk. "We also have a lot of experience with ProRail objects and renovate stations throughout the country. We are familiar with ProRail and NS regulations and also have the Safety Passport for working safely along the tracks."

According to the gentlemen, what made the project particularly special was the combination of technical complexity, time pressure and safety. "During the work, travelers continued to use the station as usual. That required careful planning, execution at night and close consultation with all parties involved." During the completion phase, a further 1.3 kilometers of LED lighting was installed. "A great deal of attention was paid to aesthetics and finishing." The result: a renewed technical heart that is future-proof and a station that has visibly improved - without the passenger ever standing still.