“MetroLink is happening”, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has insisted.
He said he understood that there was some cynicism about the Dublin rail project given the various announcements and subsequent cancellations of the 19km line over the last 20 years or so.
However, speaking on Wednesday he said the Cabinet’s decision to authorise the development of MetroLink to go out to tender represented “the most significant milestone in the history of the project so far”.
“We can now seek market bids for the construction of the operation of MetroLink, and take a major step towards delivering this transformative piece of national infrastructure.”
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“Following today’s approval, MetroLink will move into the detail procurement phase. Tender packages for the big construction and operational contracts will begin issuing in the coming months.”
O’Brien said enabling works, including utility, diversions, and site preparation associated with the development of the rail line, which will run from Swords in north Dublin to Charlemont, near Ranelagh on the southside, will commence from next year.
He said that tunnelling and construction of the stations along the lines were likely to get under way in 2028.
The Minister said the updated cost estimates for the project, which he had given to the Cabinet, ranged from €14.44 billion to €17.49 billion. He said the central estimate for the cost of MetroLink was €15.75 billion.
O’Brien said that “firm cost ranges for MetroLink would only be known after competitive market bids are received next year”.
The central estimate in the previous estimates for the project drawn up in 2022 were the development of MetroLink would cost €9.5 billion. The Cabinet will have to give final authorisation for the project once the tenders are received next year.
The Minister said the assessments had indicated that the benefits of MetroLink under each scenario exceeded the cost.
He said the detailed business case behind the project would be published in the coming days.
The Minister said it was an absolute priority that MetroLink would be delivered on time and on budget. He said a specific governance structure for the project would be put in place by the Government.
He said the cost range set out in the new estimates were “realistic” and that the figures had been checked by the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and officials in the Department of Transport as well as by independent assessors.
O’Brien said a quarter of the MetroLink project would be delivered as part of a public/private partnership. He said the Government had signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Investment Bank and its level of funding would be decided after the tender process was completed.
The Minister said MetroLink would support the delivery of approximately 77,000 new homes along its route and through its integration with other public transport services, up to 200,000 new homes across the Greater Dublin Area.
“This is a game changer for Dublin and the wider region as we work to deliver more homes for a growing population,” he said.
The Minister also confirmed that transport officials were working with the Land Development Agency on the provision of accommodation for workers on the project.
“That is well advanced right now”, he said
He said at its peak the development of the rail line would require about 8,000 workers.
The Irish Times reported on Saturday that the new business case for MetroLink included provision of up to €500 million for the development of homes for workers on the project. It is understood that it is envisaged that such accommodation would revert to the State when construction was completed, about 2036 or 2037.
