The MetroLink Project is a long-time proposed plan for a high-capacity, high-frequency railway line in Dublin, becoming the single biggest public transport project in the history of the country—and it’s just received a fresh boost.
The new plan was announced by the government this week, with large-scale infrastructure projects that will improve Ireland in the next five to 10 years. Between now and 2030, it’s thought the project could see an investment of up to €24.33 billion, and forming part of this eye-watering number is €2 billion invested from the Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund (ICNF).
This huge chunk of cash has been allocated in order to support the project’s commitment to low-carbon transportation, alongside other projects it’s funding over the course of the next five years. But overall, at this moment in the process, there is no real understanding of the project’s total cost.
With an impressive 16 stations in total, starting from Swords and going all the way to Charlemont, the MetroLink aims to carry a whopping 53 million passengers a year. The current plan proposes an 18.8 km route with an end-to-end time of just 25 minutes and aims to serve residential areas, bringing them closer to Dublin’s city centre and its airport, while also creating links to existing railway and bus services.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “If you look at the expansion of Dublin, if you look at it over a 20- to 30-year period, there will be continued growth in population in Dublin. I don’t think you could sustain Dublin without a metro,” he said.
Already, the project is receiving its fair share of criticism, with Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary chiming in to share that he believes nobody will use the MetroLink to the airport. He told RTÉ Radio: “Dublin Airport doesn’t need it; Dublin Airport passengers won’t use it – they’re already well-served by buses.”
He continued to say: “Here’s the madness of this. This thing is going to start at Stephen’s Green in the morning. If you want to get to our first wave of departures, which leave at about 6.30 in the morning, you need to be at the airport at 5.30am.
“Are you seriously going to drive into the centre of Stephen’s Green, where there’s no car parking, to get this metro to get to Dublin Airport for 5:30 in the morning? No, you’re not.” His alternative suggestion was to buy, for €100 million, 400 buses, which would provide the exact same capacity as the metro aims to hold, travelling on existing bus lanes and routes.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe suggested that the recent costing pinpointed the MetroLink to be around €11 billion. Although he argued that an exact estimate wouldn’t be possible at this stage, as there is a procurement process about to commence.
Back in 2021, however, it was estimated that the project would cost somewhere between €7 and €12 billion. Now contradicting this, the director of Metrolink, Sean Sweeney, shared that this estimate was “going to change” and that the full cost may not be clear until 2027, as the Irish people continue to sit and wait for progress.