Dubliners could begin to see “visible construction activities” for the MetroLink line by the end of this year, with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) expecting the project to be operational between 2036 and 2038.
The project is expected to be a catalyst for development that could provide 77,000 additional homes in Dublin, a briefing on its progress was told.
The tender process for the main project contracts is expected to be launched in early 2027 after the Government approved the second of three stages of the project on Wednesday.
The interim programme director for MetroLink, Michael Flynn, said once approval was granted for the final stage, at which point the final costs for the project would be known, “heavy construction activities” would start.
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TII expects final approval to be sought from Government following the tender process by late 2027 or early 2028.
Before then, however, the awarding of the 12-year contract to Jacobs and Aecom to oversee the project will allow TII to begin “visible construction activities” around Dublin at the end of this year and early next year.
“This is all about continuing to build the momentum that we have in the project and get to the point where people will visibly see real work occurring around Dublin as we go into 2027.”
The early works to clear out sites would allow “big international contractors” to have a “free run at digging out the stations and commencing the tunnelling”, he said.
Although the estimated costs of the project have risen significantly since 2022, Flynn said there was “no cheaper time” to build the project.
“It’s not going to get cheaper if we wait any longer,” he said. He was speaking at a briefing on Wednesday that heard that for each euro spent delivering MetroLink, there would be a return of between €1.13 and €1.95.
Lorcan O’Connor, chief executive of TII, said the benefit of MetroLink “exceeds the costs” in all scenarios.
The briefing heard the project will be a “catalyst for residential development” for about one to two kilometres on each side of the alignment, resulting in 77,000 additional homes.
“Another example would be the regeneration potential for the likes of O’Connell Street,” O’Connor said, noting that a station there would bring “a lot more people” into the city’s main thoroughfare.
The estimated costs of the project range from €14.4 billion in an “optimistic” scenario to a maximum of €17.5 billion, while the midpoint cost has risen from €9.5 billion calculated in 2022 to €15.75 billion.
[ Engineering firms Jacobs and Aecom awarded €550m MetroLink contractOpens in new window ]
The difference reflects increased direct costs, inflation and risk allowances, with Flynn pointing to “uncertainty” due to the conflict in the Middle East.
It also includes a further €1 billion for increased contractor costs, with Flynn saying there was now a smaller number of “big players” willing to undertake projects of this scale.
“What we have found is they’re much more selective about what projects they undertake, and they’re also much more selective about what level of return they seek to undertake projects of this nature,” he said.
