METROLINK ‘DAMAGE’ PAYMENT
HOMEOWNERS will be able to have fasttracked repairs of up to €45,000 carried out free of charge if their property is damaged during the construction of MetroLink.
The move was confirmed by Aiden Foley, the MetroLink director, who presented on the first day of the oral hearings into the project with An Bord Pleanála. The underground railway will link Dublin Airport with the southside of the city.
Mr Foley told the hearing that in 2021, Dublin ranked as the 35th most congested city in the world. Economists estimate that, without intervention, congestion and lost time will cost the Irish economy ‘over €2billion per annum in 2033’. He also said that almost 8,000 workers currently commute from Swords to Dublin city centre, but only 12% of these use public transport.
Mr Foley said that in response to the concerns of some residents that their homes may be damaged by the construction, a Property Owners’ Protection Scheme (POPS) had been established. Repair or remediation of damage caused as a result of the construction works, where the estimated cost of repair does not exceed €45,000, could be recouped, it was heard.
The POPS will remain open for 12 months after the opening of the MetroLink.
The project is estimated to cost around €9.5billion overall, with Government figures such as Eamon Ryan, the leader of the Green Party, saying they hope it will open in the early 2030s. It will consist of a fully segregated railway, mostly underground, running from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of Dublin city.