Irish Government gives green light to Dublin Metrolink

New line will offer new connections between north and south of the city.

IRISH Transport Minister Eamon Ryan secured agreement from the Irish Cabinet on July 4 to move forward with the 19.4km (12 mile) MetroLink rail project that will link Swords, in the north of the city, to Dublin Airport via the city centre – joining up with the existing Luas Green Line at Charlemont to the south of the city centre. The project has been in the pipeline for almost two decades since first proposed in 2005. It will have 16 stations and is expected to offer three-minute headways at peak times, carrying up to 20,000 passenger per hour. Interchange stations will be provided with the existing DART network at Tara Street and at Glasnevin with the proposed DART extensions to Maynooth/ M3 Parkway and Hazlehatch. As well as linking major transport hubs, MetroLink will connect key destinations including Ballymun, the Mater Hospital, the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin City University and Trinity College Dublin. Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), which is responsible for the project’s delivery, will submit a planning application to the An Bord Pleanála (Ireland’s national independent planning body) in September ahead of the procurement process commencing next year. Construction is expected to start in 2025, depending on the outcome of the planning, and procurement processes will be completed between 2031 and 2034. The projected cost is €9.5bn, the midpoint of a €7.16-12.25bn capital delivery cost range for the project. The Irish government will cover three-quarters of this, with a quarter financed through a public-private partnership. The government says a more precise cost will be known following the completion of planning and procurement. Mr Ryan said: “MetroLink is a once in a generation project that is going to massively transform the public transport system in our capital city. We are giving the green light to a transport system that will be integral to the city and the country’s sustainable development in this century, and into the next.” He added: “It will provide over one billion carbon neutral, fully electrified, passenger trips by 2050. Over 175,000 people and 250,000 jobs will be accessible to the stations by foot alone. It will contribute to a shift from the private car to more sustainable travel, helping to decarbonise the transport sector in line with government policy.”