MetroLink, the longest-awaited – and surely the most debated – transport project in the history of the State has finally received planning permission. The 18.8km line from Swords in north Dublin to Charlemont close to Ranelagh in south Dublin, will connect Dublin Airport by rail to the city centre for the first time, with services due to start in about a decade. All going well.
A metro for Dublin was first mooted back in the 1970s and has been Government policy for 25 years. Dublin is one of the very few European capitals without a rail link from its airport and the project has support across the political spectrum. The decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant the railway order for the line has been broadly, if not universally, welcomed.
This is not yet the final go-ahead. No one yet knows the cost of the line as indicative tenders will only be sought now that permission has been granted. An upper figure of potential costs of more than €23 billion was included in information submitted to government in 2022 ahead of the planning application, but the indications were that the cost would be significantly lower. On international criteria, it must be.
The estimated costs will be clearer when tenders come in and can be compared to the expected benefits. A key advantage, as well as an airport connection, is relieving traffic congestion and opening up new areas of north Dublin for housing by providing a viable transport link. While debate has focused on providing trains to the airport, air passengers will account for fewer than one-fifth of those using the line.
READ MORE
The biggest beneficiaries of MetroLink will be the travelling public of north Dublin, particularly those in Swords, the third largest town in the State. With a population in excess of 40,000 – and growing– the town badly needs a rail service.
The granting of the railway order is no guarantee MetroLink will be built. The previous iteration of the line, Metro North, was granted permission 15 years ago but never went ahead. State developer Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) must now seek indicative tenders to build the line, before submitting its final business case to Government. Provided final Government approval is given, vital lessons must be learned from other mega-projects to ensure delivery as close to budget and the planned timeline as possible.
The Government has promised to expedite the building of vital infrastructure and ensure it is done as efficiently as possible. Getting the MetroLink project up and running is a vital test of its ability to deliver and – given the likelihood of challenges via judicial reviews to the planning approval – of whether the legal system can deal with a major infrastructure plan expeditiously. Even after a tortuous planning process, there is still a long way to go before the first shovel is deployed.
