Planning application for Dublin’s MetroLink lodged with Bord Pleanala

A planning application for Dublin’s MetroLink, which has an estimated cost of €9.5 billion, has been lodged by State transport provider Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

MetroLink is to be the State’s first mostly underground railway running between the Swords area and Charlemont in south central Dublin.

The route will serve Dublin Airport and residential communities in Swords, Ballymun and Glasnevin, the city centre, as well as linking major employment and education facilities. The route is 18.8km, and it is proposed to have 15 stations on opening with more later.

The journey time would be 25 minutes from Swords to Charlemont, and it is envisaged that frequency of trains will be every three minutes at peak time. The trains are to be capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers in each direction per hour.

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Should Bord Pleanála give the project the green light construction is earmarked to get under way in 2025, and the line would be operational in the early 2030s.

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said he secured formal Cabinet backing for the project in July. The application to Bord Pleanála, formally an application for a railway order, on Friday was welcomed by Mr Ryan, who said: “MetroLink is a flagship project, but it is also one of a suite of major public transport investments.” The investments include Bus Connects, 41 new intercity rail carriages for Irish Rail that will arrive next year; a doubling of trains on the Dublin to Cork route, and the extension of the Dart to Maynooth among others.

News of the application was also welcomed by Irish business and employers’ group Ibec. Spokesman Aidan Sweeney said Dublin was “far too car-dependent”.

“MetroLink is needed for the development of an integrated and sustainable public transport network that will meet future demand in Dublin. The application for a railway order marks an important step in securing planning permission for the project.” He added the planning process must not be allowed to “derail MetroLink”.

Dublin Chamber said the Dublin business community was “acutely aware of the benefits that MetroLink will bring for the Dublin region for decades to come”. MetroLink, once completed, will make travel around Dublin easier, address Dublin’s congestion problems, and will help Ireland reach its climate targets. The body called on the Government to ensure “the urgent completion of MetroLink by 2030″, particularly as it remains the missing link of vital transport infrastructure between Dublin Airport and the city centre.

The Government has acknowledged a wide variation in estimates for the project. At the lower end the target cost is €7.16 billion, with the central estimate at €9.5 billion and an upper estimate allowing for high inflation and contingencies at €12.25 billion.