Construction commenced today on the IJhal–the main pedestrian passageway within Amsterdam's Centraal Station–which parallels the river IJ and is the convergence point for the city's multitude of transportation types. The station and its immediate surroundings are metamorphosizing to become the centerpiece of a larger master plan to create a more welcoming 'gateway' to the city for passengers arriving via train, tram, metro, or bus, by simplifying the connections between each. A series of secondary passageways perpendicular to the IJhal will impart direct visual connections to the waterfront throughout the station. This will reestablish Amsterdam's connection to both the IJ and Amsterdam North–a neighborhood separated from the city center by the IJ–which was severed upon the station's completion at the close of the nineteenth century. A system of round mirrored elements will be mounted on the ceiling to reflect and radiate the undulating properties of the IJ's surface throughout the IJhal and its adjacent passageways, further strengthening the city's historic relation to water. The station's new bus terminal–located directly above the IJhal–will be accessed via voids of stairs and escalators, with each containing luscious hanging gardens.

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