With the opening of the Passerelle in 2025, Zwolle gains not just a new bridge, but a new urban backbone. Where the railway line once formed a stark dividing line between the historic city centre and the southern neighbourhoods, a natural and pleasant connection now emerges, bringing the city together once more. The Passerelle is therefore not only an infrastructural intervention, but also a spatial and social reconnection of Zwolle’s urban fabric.
The Passerelle is the result of an intensive design process in which Karres en Brands worked with the municipality of Zwolle from 2017 onwards to develop an integrated vision for the railway zone. The focus was not only on infrastructure, but on the city itself and the experience of its users. The aim was to restore urban continuity, strengthen pedestrian and cycle routes, and introduce new public spaces around the station area.
Within the station square, a range of interventions — including a bicycle basement, a bus bridge, and the redevelopment of Stationsplein, Oosterlaan, Westerlaan and Hanzelaan — are brought together within a single spatial framework. As a result, the railway zone is transformed from a peripheral area into a coherent new urban centre that connects different parts of the city.
Timber construction as a catalyst for transition
The station square functions as a catalyst in this transformation. The railway zone becomes an ‘intermediate landscape’ where mobility, urban development and landscape come together. The redevelopment of the station area drives broader urban change, with ambitions in urbanisation, mobility, climate adaptation, and the energy transition.
Within this context, the Passerelle plays a key role. By extending the station street over the railway tracks, a clear and logical connection is created between old and new Zwolle. This improves accessibility and strengthens social cohesion by linking neighbourhoods with amenities, employment, and urban life.
A ‘raised street’
The Passerelle is designed as a ‘raised street’: a complete urban space at height. Rather than a simple route from A to B, it forms a sequence of spaces that invite movement and stay. The gentle S-shape slows the crossing and reveals changing views of the city and railway. At its centre, the bridge widens into a place to pause, while on the south side it transitions into a green platform connected to the station park.
Timber construction supports the project’s sustainable ambitions. The bridge, made of laminated European softwood and steel portals, forms a clear structure. At 130 metres, it is the longest pedestrian bridge of its kind in Europe, storing around 1,300 tonnes of CO₂ and significantly reducing emissions compared to steel alternatives.
More than a crossing
Designed as an elevated park, the Passerelle integrates vegetation, water and soil, contributing to biodiversity and a pleasant microclimate while offering a sensory experience of seasons and change. More than a crossing, it shows how infrastructure can become an urban catalyst, connecting people, neighbourhoods and landscapes and marking the start of a broader transformation of the railway zone.
Data
Landscape architecture: Karres en Brands [coordinating architect for the passerelle, rail zone development plan and spatial design]
IPV Delft [design]
Miebach Ingenieurbüro [engineering]
Pontico [timber and railway expertise]
Municipality of Zwolle [station square design and engineering]
Photo credits: Mikkel Eye, Ben en Ann ter Mull
