A consortium of five international companies is to bid for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of Dublin’s MetroLink project.
If approved, construction of the 18.8 km mostly underground MetroLink should begin between 2028 and 2031, with services between Swords, Dublin Airport, Dublin city centre and Charlemont, just south of the centre, opening in early 2035.
The five companies are Spanish construction group FCC; French asset manager Meridiam; British infrastructure investor John Laing; French transport operator RATP Dev; and French rail company Alstom.
The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to formally establish the consortium.
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They described MetroLink as an “unprecedented transport project” for Ireland, intended to improve connectivity, reduce congestion and enhance sustainability.
The fully automated, driverless metro system will connect major transport hubs and key destinations in the Greater Dublin Area and offer a direct rail connection between Dublin city centre and its airport for the first time.
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The consortium said it brings together “leading expertise” across infrastructure development, automated metro operation and maintenance, financing and engineering, and has “in-depth knowledge” of Dublin and its transport system.
It said it will collaborate on preparing and submitting a proposal for MetroLink and that it is now preparing for the pre-qualification and bidding phases.
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“The group’s composition ensures a strong combination of metro leadership, technical capability, project management experience, operational excellence and financial strength, essential for delivering a programme of this scale and complexity,” it said.
It is proposed FCC would lead the civil engineering aspects, while Alstom and RATP Dev would provide operational and maintenance expertise.
Meridiam and John Laing, meanwhile, have come on board to provide “financial acumen and long-term investment capabilities”, the group said.
Ramón Gómez, managing director at FCC, said the company has “extensive international experience” in the design, construction and financing of large-scale international railway infrastructures in Doha, Riyadh, Madrid, Barcelona, Panama, Lisbon, Lima, Malaga and Toronto.
It also has experience in major civil engineering and industrial projects in Ireland, where it developed the M50 motorway and the N6 in Galway.
Other projects it has worked on include the expansion of industrial infrastructure at Dublin Airport and the extension there of the North Runway.
Romain Limousin, deputy chief operations officer Europe at Meridiam, said the company currently manages major light rail transit systems in Italy, the UK and Canada, and is soon to add the United States to that list.
Andrew Truscott, chief executive of John Laing, said a key point for the consortium would be to ensure the project is delivered with “long-term value for the public”.
Kristin Thorslund, senior vice-president for Nordics and Ireland at RATP Dev, said the company is currently engaged in five major greenfield automated metro projects in Paris, Sydney, Singapore, Riyadh and Doha.
“Our teams are recognised for successfully delivering complex metro projects such as the seamless launch of Riyadh’s first-ever metro lines and public transport network,” she added.
Piers Wood, managing director Ireland at Alstom, said the consortium represents “an ideal mix of technical expertise, operational knowhow and financial strength”.
