Technical issues during construction and the bankruptcy of several key contractors have caused the opening to be pushed back from October 2017.
The additional costs incurred as a result of the delay will reportedly be covered by contingencies in the €3.1bn budget for the 9.8km line.
Construction began in 2002 and the line was originally due to open in March 2011. However, the construction of the tunnels in the difficult ground conditions beneath Amsterdam's historic city centre was plagued with problems, including subsidence, which damaged a number of buildings.
The northern section of the line is constructed at grade before diving beneath the IJ waterway to reach Amsterdam Central station where it will connect with the existing metro and Netherlands Railways (NS) mainline services. The line continues south beneath the historic city centre to reach South station, where it also connects with light rail, metro and NS services.
