The largest MetroLink contract, valued at up to €7.3 billion, has been advertised by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
The new invitation to bidders pushes the combined value of contracts advertised to date to deliver the metro towards the €16 billion mark.
The State public transport agency on Friday issued contract notices seeking expressions of interest for a single consortium to supply, operate, and maintain the metro, Dublin’s first underground rail line, under a public-private partnership contract.
TII earlier this year advertised two sets of contracts for the tunnelling and excavation of the19km line from Swords in north Dublin to Charlemont on the southside of the city, serving Dublin Airport and city centre.
READ MORE
These tunnelling and major infrastructure contacts had values of up to €3.34 billion and €4.56 billion, or a combined total of €7.9 billion
Contracts for enabling works, including moving underground utilities out of the way of the tunnel, have already been advertised with a total maximum value of €680 million.
Combined, the contract notices issued to date exceed €15.8 billion, considerably above the cost range of €7.16 billion to €12.25 billion issued by TII when it last submitted its business case for the project to government in 2022.
TII has said it expects the competitive tendering process to produce bids for MetroLink contacts below these levels.
However, the advertised contracts give some indication of the sums which might be under consideration in the updated business case submitted by TII just over one month ago.
The business case outlines new cost projections for the project and is currently being reviewed by the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport, before being submitted for Government approval. If the Government approves the new costs, TII will be allowed to seek construction tenders for the line.
The contract notice issued on Friday for the supply and operation of MetroLink invites prospective bidders to be considered for a shortlist for the contract. “It is anticipated that the three highest ranked eligible applicants for the contract will be shortlisted and selected to proceed to the next stage of the competition,” TII said.
[ MetroLink spending tops €360m before construction begins, department figures showOpens in new window ]
While the Government has yet to determine if it will allow TII to progress the project, based on the updated cost projections, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said the issuing of the contract notice was a “clear signal of our ambition to deliver world-class, sustainable transport infrastructure. This Government is committed to delivering MetroLink with quality, value for money and long-term public benefit at its core.”
The combined contract notice totals do not include the €360 million spent on the project to the end of 2025, or the expected €400-€500 million expected to be required for property acquisition costs.
The new business case was delivered by TII just days before the shock announcement of the resignation of MetroLink boss Seán Sweeney. Sweeney resigned from the €550,000-a-year job at the start of April citing family reasons. TII has commenced an international search for his replacement and expects to select a candidate by the end of the summer.
If the Government approves the updated business before the Dáil summer recess in July, TII will sign contracts for enabling works by the end of this year, which would result in extensive on-street works to move utilities starting next year.
Tunnelling contracts would be awarded by the end of next year, which would allow construction to start by 2028. The contract for the metro operator would also be issued in 2028. Construction timelines will depend on the bids selected, but work could be completed within eight years.
