Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf
Encyclopedia
The Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf (GVB) is the municipal transport company of Amsterdam
. As of 2007, the GVB is an independent corporation wholly owned by the city of Amsterdam.
In addition, a new metro line, the North/South line, is under construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
gauge
(standard gauge
)
gauge
(standard gauge
)
Route 6 (Plantage Parklaan - Leidseplein - VUMC) was discontinued in 2006.
of the Netherlands
and the GVB has a few of its own tickets, notably the 24-, 48- and 72- hour tickets. The electronic OV-chipkaart
has been the only ticketing system valid in the Amsterdam metro since the summer of 2009, and in the rest of the network (tram, bus) since June 2010. Most trams carry conductors, but as they no longer stamp passengers' strippenkaarten their role has been deskilled; it now consists in ensuring security along with selling the occasional OV-chipkaart and optionally announcing the stops.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. As of 2007, the GVB is an independent corporation wholly owned by the city of Amsterdam.
History
The forerunner of the GVB, the Gemeentetram Amsterdam (GTA) (Amsterdam Municipal Tramway), was established in 1900 by the city after it acquired a private tram company. In 1925, it introduced its first bus line. In 1943, the GVB acquired its current form when Gemeentetram merged with Gemeenteveren Amsterdam, the municipal ferry company.Network
The GVB operates a number public transportation networks in and around the city of Amsterdam, including:- 3 metroRapid transitA rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
lines, partly elevated, no level crossingLevel crossingA level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s. - 1 light railLight railLight rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
(sneltram = fast tram) line to the neighboring town AmstelveenAmstelveen' is a suburban municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the following villages and/or districts: Amstelveen, Bovenkerk, Westwijk, Bankras-Kostverloren, Groenelaan, Waardhuizen,...
, partly using metro tracks, partly on the street with its own lanes, and with level crossings (Route 51). - 17 tramTramA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
routes, on street, partly mixed with all other traffic, partly on lanes shared with buses and taxis, and partly on separate lanes. - many busBusA bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
routes; buses often mix with other traffic, but sometimes on lanes shared with trams and taxis, or for buses only. - Several ferriesFerryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
across the IJIJ (bay)The IJ is a river, formerly a bay, in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is known for being Amsterdam's waterfront. The name derives from the generic Germanic term for "water" and is similar to other Aa/Ee names for bodies of water. In Dutch, the name consists of the digraph ij, which is...
; at least one is frequent, operating 24 hours a day, free of charge.
In addition, a new metro line, the North/South line, is under construction and is scheduled to be completed in 2017.
Metro
gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
(standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
)
- Amsterdam, DiemenDiemenDiemen is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands with a population of around 24,000. Diemen is located in the province of North Holland directly to the east of Amsterdam within the capital's metropolitan area.-Geography:...
, Ouder-AmstelOuder-AmstelOuder-Amstel is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-Population centres :The municipality of Ouder-Amstel consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Duivendrecht, Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, Waver....
- power 750 voltVoltThe volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...
DCDirect currentDirect current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
- power 750 volt
Tram/light rail
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
(standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
)
- Amsterdam, Diemen, Amstelveen
- power 600 volt DC
- the line to AmstelveenAmstelveen' is a suburban municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is part of the metropolitan area of Amsterdam. The municipality of Amstelveen consists of the following villages and/or districts: Amstelveen, Bovenkerk, Westwijk, Bankras-Kostverloren, Groenelaan, Waardhuizen,...
partly runs on metro track, therefore the light rail vehicles on this line are capable of using both 600 volt DC and 750 volt DC - tram routes
- 1 Amsterdam Centraal (Centraal Station or CS) - Osdorp De Aker
- 2 CS - Nieuw Sloten
- 3 Zoutkeetsgracht - Muiderpoort station
- 4 CS - Rai NS
- 5Tram line 5 (Amsterdam)Tramlijn 5 is a tram route in the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. The route runs between the centre of Amsterdam and the town of Amstelveen, and is operated by the municipal transport company GVB...
CS - Amstelveen Binnenhof - 7 Slotermeer - LeidsepleinLeidsepleinThe Leidseplein is a square in central Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Lying in the southwest of the Grachtengordel district of Amsterdam, the Leidseplein is immediately northeast of the Singelgracht canal. It is situated on the crossroads of the Weteringschans, the Marnixstraat, and the Leidsestraat...
- Flevopark - 9 CS - Diemen Sniep
- 10 Van Hallstraat - Azartplein
- 12 Amstel station - Station Sloterdijk
- 13 CS - Geuzenveld Lambertus Zijlplein
- 14 Slotermeer - Dam - Flevopark
- 16 CS - Free University Medical CenterFree University Medical CenterThe VU University Medical Center or VUmc, is the university hospital affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
(Vrije Universiteit Medisch Centrum or VUMC) via Vijzelgracht - 17 CS - Osdorp DijkgraafpleinDijkgraafpleinThe Dijkgraafplein is a square in Amsterdam-Osdorp in the Netherlands, lying at the end of Tussen Meer. The square is named after the office of dijkgraaf in 1962. The Dijkgraafplein lies in the neighborhood that is now known as 'De Sharpen' and where many street are named after waterways.Since...
- 24 CS - VUMC via Leidsestraat
- 25 Passenger Terminal - CS - Pres. Kennedylaan
- 26 CS - IJburgIJburgIJburg is a residential neighbourhood currently under construction in the east of Amsterdam. It is situated in the IJ Lake and is being built on artificial islands which have been raised from the lake...
Route 6 (Plantage Parklaan - Leidseplein - VUMC) was discontinued in 2006.
-
- Recent Projects:
- IJ-line (26) (opened in May 2005)
- Cargo tram (pilot from January 2007)
- 155 new CombinoCombinoThe Combino is a low floor tram produced by Siemens Transportation Systems . The first prototype was produced in 1996 at the Duewag works in Düsseldorf; the trams are currently made in Krefeld-Uerdingen. Because of its modular design using standardised components, and the resulting reduced costs,...
trams from Siemens AGSiemens AGSiemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
Verkehrstechnik, built in 2002-2003]
- Recent Projects:
Ticketing
The Amsterdam public transport network falls under the National Tariff SystemNational Tariff System
The national tariff system is a ticketing and zoning scheme for local public transport in the Netherlands. It was designed as a nationwide scheme but is being phased out and replaced by the OV-chipkaart...
of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and the GVB has a few of its own tickets, notably the 24-, 48- and 72- hour tickets. The electronic OV-chipkaart
OV-chipkaart
The OV-chipkaart is a contactless smart card system which is in the process of being introduced on all public transport in the Netherlands, including train, metro, tram and bus...
has been the only ticketing system valid in the Amsterdam metro since the summer of 2009, and in the rest of the network (tram, bus) since June 2010. Most trams carry conductors, but as they no longer stamp passengers' strippenkaarten their role has been deskilled; it now consists in ensuring security along with selling the occasional OV-chipkaart and optionally announcing the stops.
