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Minister Ryan announces transformative MetroLink project

  • 19.4 kilometres in length, 16 stations mostly underground, connecting North and South city
  • Fully automated – the first of its kind in Ireland
  • Trains every 3 minutes at peak time, system will be capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction
  • Planning submission will be lodged this September

The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has secured agreement from Cabinet to move forward with the transformative MetroLink rail project.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan brought the MetroLink Preliminary Business Case to Cabinet yesterday. Planning submission on the public transport ‘megaproject’, which will transform public transport in Dublin and improve interconnectivity with national rail links, will be lodged this September. It is anticipated that MetroLink could be in operation in the early 2030s.

MetroLink is a transformative piece of new public transport infrastructure, the first of its kind in Ireland. It will consist of a fully segregated railway, most of which will be underground, running from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of Dublin City Centre. The route will include 16 stations and serve multiple residential communities such as Swords, Ballymun and Glasnevin, as well as the City Centre, Dublin Airport, and major employment, education, transport and other centres.

When operations commence, there will be trains every 3 minutes during peak periods. This can rise to a service every 90 seconds by 2060 with the system capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction. For comparison, Luas Green Line can carry circa 9,000 passengers per direction per hour.

A metro for Dublin has been in development in various forms for more than 2 decades. Ireland remains one of only a small number of countries in Europe without a metro in its biggest city or a rail connection to its main international airport. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 specifically lists MetroLink as one of its strategic investment priorities and it is fully aligned with the Climate Action Plan 2021 and other major strategic plans.

Announcing the decision, Minister Ryan said:

"MetroLink is a once in a generation project that is going to massively transform the public transport system in our capital city. This project in various guises has been on the table now for 2 decades, but the government’s decision on the MetroLink Preliminary Business Case marks a significant milestone. Now this exciting transport megaproject starts to become a reality. 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.

"MetroLink is hardwired to our climate ambitions. It will provide over 1 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. By interchanging with other public transport systems such as DART and Luas, MetroLink connects to more than a million people in the Dublin area, and more across Ireland. The project will improve the quality of the urban environment and people’s lives, as well as enable the development of more well-connected homes in and around our capital city. 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.

"I’m delighted that the government has agreed with my recommendation to proceed with the project, and I look forward to it entering the statutory planning stage this September."

Commenting on today’s decision, Minister McGrath said:

"There is widespread agreement as to the importance of progressing the MetroLink project as a means of connecting communities, businesses, transport hubs and education settings across Dublin. Our task now is to ensure that the scheme progresses in a timely manner with protecting the interests of the taxpayer as a central tenet of the project. My department has developed a suite of oversight measures including the External Assurance Process to allow for independent scrutiny of public projects at key decision-making stages and the Major Projects Advisory Group which provides further scrutiny of external reviews. These processes will be essential to the efficient delivery of this vital piece of national infrastructure."

Chief Executive of the NTA, Anne Graham, commented:

"Today is an important day for Irish public transport. MetroLink is about providing a frequent, reliable, sustainable alternative as part of an integrated system, so that we can encourage more people to get out of their cars and on to public transport."

Chief Executive of TII, Peter Walsh, said:

"MetroLink will provide an efficient service, with an end-to-end journey time of only 25 minutes, as part of an integrated public transport system. We look forward to bringing this project to An Bord Pleanála in September."

After reviewing the options and figures, the Department of Transport recommended approval of the MetroLink project as proposed by TII and the NTA. While it is too early to give a precise project cost as it has yet to go through the planning and procurement stages, a central scenario provides an indicative capital delivery cost of €9.5 billion. This is the midpoint scenario of a credible, but still indicative, capital delivery cost range between €7.16 billion and €12.25 billion. Approximately three-quarters of the cost during the construction phase will be paid for by the exchequer and one quarter financed by a Public Private Partnership (PPP). A more exact cost will be known following planning permission and procurement process.

The analysis clearly shows that MetroLink will deliver benefits to the Irish economy and society to the tune of €13.7 billion over 60 years, well in excess of expected project costs.

Following this decision, TII will submit a planning application for the MetroLink route to An Bord Pleanála in September, with the procurement process commencing next year. Dependent on the outcome of the planning and procurement processes, construction of MetroLink is earmarked to commence in 2025 with a view to operation in the early 2030s.

Estuary park and ride

Ballymun

Glasnevin

Tara Street

Fosterstown Plaza

Collins Avenue

Griffith Park

St Stephen's Green

  • 1st of its kind in Ireland
  • 19.4 kilometres in length from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south Dublin city
  • 16 stations
  • Trains every 3 minutes at peak time, system will be capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers in each direction every hour
  • 1 airport, 2 interconnecting train stations on route, 1 main Luas connection, and enhanced connectivity to 2 major inter-city train stations
  • Growing population of 175,000 people within easy walking distance of the route, connecting more than a million people in the Dublin area and across Ireland
  • 250,000 jobs within easy reach of the route
  • €9.5 billion credible cost estimate, €13.7 billion benefits to the economy over 60 years
  • MetroLink is a mostly underground 19.4km rail route, with 16 stations on opening, between the Swords area and Charlemont in the south Dublin City Centre
  • MetroLink will serve a growing population of circa 175,000 people living within easy walking distance of the route, including in Swords, Ballymun and Glasnevin, with Fingal having one of the fastest growing populations in the country. It provides access to employment (with circa 250,000 jobs within easy walking distance of the route), education, leisure and healthcare facilities. This includes Dublin Airport, the Rotunda Hospital, the Mater Hospital, Dublin City University, Trinity College Dublin, and many other locations in Dublin City Centre
  • MetroLink provides for an integrated public transport system. It significantly improves wider connections across Dublin and beyond. The stations on its route will connect to Irish Rail, DART and DART+ services (at Tara Street and Glasnevin train stations), Luas services (at the Charlemont stop), bus and BusConnects services, as well as to Dublin Airport. MetroLink is therefore a transformative railway project, widening bus and rail connectivity for over a million people in the Dublin area as well as an even greater number across Ireland

Service capacity

  • MetroLink will be a fully automated system offering safe and reliable transport to circa 100 million passengers per annum by 2060. MetroLink trains and stations will have accessible and safe designs to improve mobility for all passengers
  • In initial years during peak periods there will be a capacity of 20 trains operating per hour each way, at a frequency of 3 minutes between trains when operations commence. This can rise to a service every 90 seconds as demand increases, with MetroLink capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction
  • The peak passenger demand for MetroLink (in a core scenario) is anticipated to rise to circa 15,000 passengers per direction per hour by 2060. For comparison, the maximum capacity of the Luas is currently circa 9,000 passengers per direction per hour, and it is not considered feasible to upgrade it beyond a maximum capacity of circa 12,000. Hence, the capacity of MetroLink is robust to cater for likely future passenger demand on the route, in a way that other transport options such as Luas and bus are not

Governance and analysis

  • MetroLink is fully aligned with the government’s National Planning Framework, the Climate Action Plan 2021, the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy 2016-2035 (and draft update to 2042), Housing for All, and the Sustainable Mobility Policy. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2021-2030 specifically lists MetroLink as one of its strategic investment priorities
  • Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is the Sponsoring Agency for MetroLink and is responsible for the delivery of the project, while the National Transport Authority (NTA) is the Approving Authority and has oversight of TII’s delivery
  • The MetroLink Preliminary Business Case, prepared by TII, has been subject to review by the NTA, JASPERS (an independent European Central Bank initiative), the Department of Transport, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform’s Major Projects Advisory Group
  • On the basis of the evidence, the Department of Transport recommended that the Minister for Transport present the MetroLink project for approval to the Cabinet under Decision Gate 1 of the Public Spending Code. Cabinet approval was accordingly provided on 4 July 2022
  • MetroLink provides for benefits to the Irish economy to the tune of €13.7 billion over 60 years, representing a positive Benefit-to-Cost ratio of 1.4 for the Irish economy. In other words, for €1 of incremental economic cost, MetroLink delivers €1.40 of economic benefit to the Irish economy. It should be noted that this is a conservative estimate, and for example does not monetise wider benefits from the project such as greenhouse gas emission reductions

Next steps

  • Approval by the government of MetroLink under Decision Gate 1 in the Public Spending Code, as occurred on 4 July 2022, enables TII to lodge a Railway Order (planning) application to An Bord Pleanála this September
  • The next steps include TII commencing the procurement process for the project next year. Assuming timely planning approval from An Bord Pleanála, and government approval at Decision 2, the final project tender price will be submitted to Government for its decision at Decision Gate 3. Dependent on the planning and procurement processes, MetroLink could commence construction in late 2025, such that it would be operational in the early 2030s

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