- MetroLink to seek market tender bids for construction and operation
- Enabling works to start on the ground from early next year
- MetroLink to boost transport connectivity across Dublin area and beyond
- MetroLink unlocks major new housing developments
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has today (16 September 2026) received approval from Cabinet to move MetroLink to the detailed tender stage, where market bids will be sought and partners selected to build and operate MetroLink. This is a major milestone for MetroLink. Significant enabling works are to start on site from early next year, followed by heavy tunnelling and station construction.
MetroLink will be the largest single project in Ireland since the construction of the Ardnacrusha hydro power plant in the 1920s, and will involve thousands of workers to deliver strategic benefits for generations to come. As an electric, driverless and mostly underground high-capacity railway, MetroLink will be the first of its kind on the island. MetroLink will not only serve hundreds of thousands of people along the route in north Dublin, it will integrate with heavy rail, DART, Luas and bus services, the M1 motorway, and Dublin Airport – thereby transforming connectivity across a wide region.
Approval welcomed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said:
“Today’s approval reflects the Government’s commitment to investing in new infrastructure. MetroLink will help make our capital city a better, more sustainable place in which to live, travel, socialise and work. I am delighted that the Government has moved MetroLink into the detailed procurement phase for multi-billion-euro construction and operation contracts, and we will continue to support it into construction.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said:
“Today’s decision is an important milestone in the delivery of a major public transport project that will connect our capital city to national transport networks and strengthen our economy as well as our competitiveness as a country.
“By providing a fast, frequent, and reliable public transport service, MetroLink will improve access to education and health facilities, to jobs, and to sports clubs, parks, and playgrounds. Projects like this are central to building the country our growing population now requires by helping to connect communities and unlock new housing.”
A game-changer for Dublin – Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien
Minister O’Brien said:
“I welcome today’s important step forward for MetroLink, a vital transport project that will help reduce traffic congestion, improve access to Dublin airport and unlock much-needed new housing development at scale.
“MetroLink will support the delivery of approximately 77,000 new homes along its route and, though 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. MetroLink will not only transform connectivity and access but also strengthen our economic competitiveness, support sustainable growth and unlock the development potential of communities across the Greater Dublin Area.
“MetroLink also supports decarbonisation by providing a reliable, low-carbon alternative to private car travel, helping to reduce road traffic, transport-related emissions and overall carbon footprints across the region.”
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said:
“This approval is a positive decision for our whole transport portfolio. Interchanges at Glasnevin and Tara Street, along with the Park and Ride at Estuary, will make MetroLink and its range of destinations easily accessible to passengers transferring from heavy rail services or cars. The decision is also a strong indication to the market that this Government is serious about transforming our plans into reality, which will have a positive impact on the rest of our ambitious portfolio of transport projects.”
The key milestone today follows a joint review by the Department of Transport and National Transport Authority (NTA) of a Detailed Business Case (DBC) under Approval Gate 2 of the Infrastructure Guidelines. The estimated cost for MetroLink (including contingency and inflation, excluding VAT) outlined in the DBC ranges from €14.44 to €17.49 billion, with a central estimate of €15.75 billion. The assessed benefits from MetroLink have been shown to exceed the costs, including from faster journey times and reduced traffic congestion. Firm cost ranges for MetroLink will only be known after the market bids are received, next year.
Key features
Key features of Metrolink include:
- 19 km of new metro railway, mostly underground, connecting Estuary/Swords to Charlemont, with stations serving key destinations including Dublin Airport, Ballymun, Glasnevin, Dublin City University, the Mater and Rotunda Hospitals, and Dublin city centre;
- High-frequency service with 64 metre trains operating every 3 minutes at peak in each direction on opening, with 16 accessible and high-quality stations on the route;
- Designed to move up to 20,000 passengers per direction/hour, over double the carrying capacity of the current Luas Green Line;
- Given its high capacity and direct integration into public transport services such as DART and Luas, MetroLink delivers a magnifying effect for transport connectivity across Dublin and beyond;
- Provides wide strategic and societal benefits such as better accessibility for citizens to jobs and services, increased environmental sustainability, and facilitation of new housing developments of significant scale across the Greater Dublin Area.
The Government will build on the momentum to date to bring MetroLink into construction, working with the transport agencies to provide a world-class piece of new infrastructure for the country. The Detailed Business Case will be published on our website in the coming days. Please be aware that certain sensitive information may be redacted due to the procurement process
Further information
More information is available on MetroLink.ie
Files below include:
- AG2 explainer 2026 – Outlining what Cabinet’s AG2 approval will mean for MetroLink and the programme’s progression.
- MetroLink infographic – Infographic outlining the MetroLink Benefits approved
- Metrolink Connectivity Map – NTA – MetroLink Connections
Additional information on MetroLink
- The first of its kind in Ireland, MetroLink will be an electric, automated and fully segregated metro service, running as a north-south spine from Estuary, north of Swords, via Dublin Airport, Ballymun and Glasnevin, to Dublin City Centre. MetroLink will be 19 km in length, mostly underground, with an end-to-end journey time of approximately 25 minutes. A route map showing the stations and transport interchanges is available at www.metrolink.ie.
- MetroLink is designed to be a high-capacity transport solution, with 64-metre trains operating at a frequency of up to 3 minutes in each direction on opening, rising to up to every 90 seconds as demand grows, giving it a scope to move up to 20,000 passengers per direction/hour. For comparison, the maximum capacity of Dublin’s existing Luas (light rail) system is on the Green line, which can move approximately 7,500 passengers per direction/hour.
- Accordingly, MetroLink will have the capacity to move significantly more passengers than any other public transport infrastructure in the State. This will benefit circa 330,000 people currently living directly along the route, providing enhanced access to jobs, health, social and educational services, including universities. In addition, because MetroLink stations integrate with heavy rail, DART, Luas and bus services, the M1 motorway (through a Park and Ride site at Estuary station), and Dublin Airport, MetroLink will provide a magnifying effect in terms of enhanced transport connectivity across Dublin and beyond.
- As a result, MetroLink has the ability to meet anticipated passenger demand in the short-run and to cater for population growth in the longer-run, giving it the ability to deliver strategic benefits to the country, including new housing (see below).
- MetroLink will be designed to be closely aligned to the Universal Design approach, including step-free access and safe environments at stations, which will enhance accessibility for all passengers, particularly those who are vulnerable or have mobility impairments.
- The Government’s decision on 16th September 2026 marked the latest positive development for the MetroLink programme. It follows the withdrawal of a potential legal challenge and consequent receipt of fully enforceable planning permission (referred to as a Railway Order) in January 2026, after which significant land and property acquisitions commenced. Procurement contract notices were also launched for the market earlier this year, from which, on foot of today’s Government decision, short-listed bidders will be asked for bids as part of the detailed procurement phase.
- MetroLink will be delivered through a series of contract works and services packages. A number of tenders to deliver advance and enabling works such as site clearance, utility diversions and archaeological services will issue to the market for bids from later this year and into 2027, with various contracts to be awarded next year. Initial enabling works, including utility diversions, will start on site at a local level from early next year.
- The detailed tender procurement packs for the main large MetroLink contracts are expected to issue from Quarter 1 next year. This involves the “M401” tender documentation for civils and tunnelling works on the southern part of the route, the “M402” tender documentation for civils and tunnelling works on the northern leg, and the “M500” tender documentation to procure a single Service Delivery Partner for the construction and operation of MetroLink systems. Tunnelling and station construction under the M400 contracts is planned to commence in 2028.
- In July 2022, the Government provided consent for MetroLink related to Approval Gate 1 (AG1) of Ireland’s Infrastructure Guidelines, and a Railway Order (planning) application was submitted to An Coimisiún Pleanála in September of that year.
- Having received an enforceable Railway Order earlier this year, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) finalised the Detailed Business Case and related documentation required for Approval Gate 2 (AG2) of the Infrastructure Guidelines. This was prepared by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and assessed jointly by the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority (NTA) as part of the AG2 review. The review covered the strategic, policy, governance, economic and commercial considerations relevant to this stage in the programme lifecycle.
- The economic assessment in the Detailed Business Case for AG2 involves various scenarios modelled by TII over a 60-year period. In all of the modelled scenarios, the monetised benefits from MetroLink, including from reduced congestion and faster journey times, exceed the costs. It should be noted that there are also wider strategic societal benefits from MetroLink such a new housing development (see below).
- The review of MetroLink concluded a positive assessment for AG2, demonstrating compliance with the Infrastructure Guidelines and the Department’s Transport Appraisal Framework for such projects. This has been followed today by AG2 consent from Government such that detailed procurement will commence.
- A firm cost estimate for MetroLink will not be known until tenders have been received and evaluated, expected in the second half of next year. These costs, and an updated benefits assessment, will be presented to Government in a Final Business Case under Approval Gate 3, which is the final decision gate before major construction works may commence.
- The Department of Transport will continue to focus on putting in place the funding, governance, structures and systems for the MetroLink programme, in order to maintain momentum, deliver a world-class piece of major new infrastructure, and ensure value-for-money for the taxpayer.
- Given its high-capacity scope and integration to other public transport services (as above), MetroLink has the ability to meet the needs of a growing population and to enhance the country’s sustainability, competitiveness and housing supply at a strategic level.
- The strategic benefits include a reduction in excessive traffic congestion in Dublin, enhancement of economic competitiveness and a more sustainable capital city, improving the quality of life for citizens.
- MetroLink offers a particular strategic housing benefit by unlocking substantial new residential development in the Greater Dublin Area, through transport-orientated development.
- MetroLink has the capacity to support the delivery of approximately 77,000 new homes directly along its route.
- With a wider geographic lens, MetroLink assists the delivery of over 120,000 further new homes in the Greater Dublin Area, through the “network effect” of improved public transport connectivity/interchanges.
- This brings the total number of new residential units that MetroLink can support to circa 200,000, which would be a very significant increase in housing supply in the medium to long-run.
