Four groups submit bids for €5bn Metro

Four groups have submitted bids to the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA) to build and operate the €5 billion Metro North rail line in Dublin, which is planned to open in 2013, writes Ciarán Hancock, Business Affairs Correspondent

All of the groups are led by international companies, although two have a strong Irish flavour to their bids.

A group called Dublin Express Link comprises tram operator Keolis, Irish construction group SIAC, HSBC, one of the world's biggest banks, rolling stock provider Alstom, private equity fund Meridiam, rail service provider Spie Rail and French industrial group Buoygues.

The Cathró consortium includes Siemens, Luas operator Veolia, Vienna-based construction company Strabag, communications group Ascom, asset manager BAM and Fluor, a Texas-based engineering company.

Celtic Metro Group is headed by Tokyo-based investment group Mitsui. It is also thought to include Barclays Private Equity, rail operator MTR, rolling stock provider Caf and Portuguese civil engineering group Soares da Costa.

MetroExpress includes AIB bank, Irish construction contractors Sisk, Australian investment group Macquarie, signalling and communications provider Bombardier, construction group FCC and Portuguese engineering group Global Vía.

A spokesman for the RPA declined to comment on the bidding groups' identities, but said the agency was "very happy" with the quality of the submissions. He said the winning bid would be chosen in early 2008 after a lengthy period of evaluation by the RPA.

Metro North is set to provide an 18km rail link between Lissenhall in Swords in north Dublin to St Stephen's Green in the city centre.

The huge cost of the project has made it a controversial component of the Government's €34 billion Transport 21 investment programme. The project will require planning approval from An Bord Pleanála. The RPA has indicated that it hopes to begin construction work on the rail link in 2009, with a four-year building programme envisaged.

The rail line is due to run underground from the city centre to Ballymun and to run overground from there to Lissenhall.

Trains are planned to run every four minutes, with the RPA projecting 34 million users a year. If built, it would be the most expensive public infrastructure project in the history of the State.