MetroLink (Dublin)


MetroLink is a proposed metro line for the city of Dublin. It replaces an earlier proposal called Metro North which was first recommended in the government of Ireland's 2005 Transport 21 transport plan.
The line is proposed to run from Estuary on Dublin's northside to Charlemont on the south of the city, with stops including Dublin Airport, O'Connell Street and St. Stephen's Green. The proposed route consists of mainly uncovered sub-surface track in the Swords area, a tunnel under Dublin Airport, further uncovered sub-surface track until the M50, with a deep bore tunnel running from Northwood to Charlemont.
While, as of March 2018, the line was planned to begin operation in 2027, as of September 2021, government representatives indicated that this target "was never likely to be achievable". As of mid-2022, the project was proposed to begin construction in 2025 and that, "all going well" it could be in operation by 2035. Planning permission was approved in late 2025, with sources at that time suggesting that construction could potentially start in 2027 or 2028.

History

Initial proposals

The original idea for the two Metro lines in Dublin can be attributed to the November 2001 "Platform for Change" report by the Dublin Transportation Office. The purpose of the report was to come up with an integrated transportation strategy for the greater Dublin region. In its report, the DTO outlined plans for three Metro lines. The first was a north–south line which would run from Swords to Shanganagh via Dublin Airport, Finglas, Broadstone, the city centre, Ranelagh, Sandyford and Cherrywood. The second would link Tallaght West to Tallaght and then continue through the south-western suburbs of Dublin to the city centre. The third line would run in an orbital pattern, with a spur off the Swords-Shanganagh line at Finglas and then continue via Blanchardstown and Clondalkin to Tallaght, where it would connect with the other line.
Dublin Airport carried over 21 million passengers in 2006. This figure was projected to grow rapidly. As a result, Transport Infrastructure Ireland identified a medium-capacity public-transport link to Dublin Airport as one of the most important gaps in the Dublin rail network. Two options were seen as a solution to the problem:
  • A spur off the existing DART line to Dublin Airport, as proposed by Iarnród Éireann.
  • A metro system, running from Swords through Dublin Airport and on to the city centre, in line with the National Transport Authority's suggestions.
The metro option emerged as the preferred option, as it provided both an airport link and a commuter link. It was described by TII as "an important commuter link for the communities and institutions of North Dublin City and County". Metro North and Metro West were adopted as government policy with the launch of the Transport 21 programme in 2005.
Three potential routes for Metro North were published by the Railway Procurement Agency in February 2006. The first route option went through Finglas and made use of the former Broadstone railway alignment. The second route option went through Ballymun and was eventually adopted as the final route. The third route option went through Whitehall. After public consultation, the RPA announced in October 2006 that they had selected a routing known as the 'East/Central Combined Route' that ran through Ballymun. A slightly updated route, with changes in proposed station names, some modifications to station locations, and details of proposed overground and underground routes through Swords was released by the RPA in March 2008.
On 22 March 2007, TII began the procurement process for Metro North. In October 2007 it announced that it had a shortlist of four consortia interested in building Metro North. Draft Environmental Impact Statements were published in early 2008.
On 17 September 2008, the RPA applied for a railway order to An Bord Pleanála. Oral hearings were heard during 2009 and 2010.
On 5 October 2011, Metro North was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála.
It was speculated by the media that the Metro North Project would be indefinitely deferred on 12 August 2011 following a review by Leo Varadkar, then Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. This was confirmed on 10 November 2011.
In September 2015, it was announced that Metro North was being relaunched, with a revised opening date of 2027.
In September 2021, government representatives indicated that the 2027 target would not be met and "was never likely to be achievable", with some reports projecting that construction would not commence before 2027. While included in the "National Development Plan 2021-2030", the plan included "no completion dates" for the proposed project.

Redesign as MetroLink and emerging preferred route

On 22 March 2018, the National Transport Authority announced revised proposals for the former Metro North railway line, now called 'MetroLink'.
The new proposal incorporated considerable changes from the original. MetroLink is intended to provide improved integration with heavy rail by including a new integrated heavy rail and metro interchange station at Glasnevin to provide transfers to and from the planned DART+ West and South West lines. In addition the route was changed to provide an interchange with existing DART services at Tara Street station in the centre of the city. The tunnel construction method was changed from twin-bore to single bore to minimise disruption and reduce costs. Some of the MetroNorth stations would have required expensive mined construction while all MetroLink stations have been designed to be constructed using the simpler cut and cover method. MetroLink is to be driverless and the stations are to incorporate platform screen doors, while MetroNorth was designed to be manually operated by drivers using line-of-sight. These plans were submitted to An Bord Pleanála in September 2022.
Initially the route was to extend further south to Sandyford, subsuming the Luas Green Line tracks from Charlemont down to its final destination in Sandyford. According to those plans, Luas services on the Green Line would cease between Sandyford and Charlemont, and be replaced by Metro services. In March 2018 public consultations were held and the plan met with considerable opposition regarding the potential closure of the Green Line for an undetermined amount of time and issues regarding pedestrian and cyclist permeability along the line. As a result, revised plans were published in March 2019, where the Metrolink line would be delivered in two phases, meaning the Green Line would not be upgraded during the first phase. The Green Line Upgrade would happen as a second phase at a later date after Metrolink from Swords to Charlemont was operational. By developing in two phases the closure of the Green Line could be reduced and more time given to upgrading the existing pedestrian crossings to be fully grade separated through the use of underpasses.
Before this opposition, a railway order was due to be sought for MetroLink in the third quarter of 2019. As of 2018, the revised MetroLink project was proposed to open in 2027.
In December 2019, test drilling for boreholes began for the line. Engineering consultant firm SNC-Lavalin was appointed by TII in March 2020 as operations advisor for the project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, work was halted, however in November 2020 ground investigation works resumed with work in Swords.
Originally the Railway Order was intended to be submitted in the first half of 2021
but actual submission occurred in September 2022. As of April 2023, a number of bodies raised concerns about aspects of the proposals outlined in the planning application. Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of Ryanair, also criticised the proposed route, stating that not everyone using Dublin Airport is "going to St Stephen's Green" and suggesting that 90% of passengers are "going to suburban Dublin and down the country".
In May 2025, it was reported that, tendering for the construction work could commence in 2026, with works potentially commencing "18 months later" during 2028.
Planning permission was granted in October 2025. At that time, the then Transport Minister indicated that, "with the fair wind", construction could begin in 2027, with other estimates suggesting that it "may not begin until at least 2028".
In November 2025 residents of Ranelagh in Dublin applied to take a judicial review of the grant of planning permission for the project. While TII reportedly stated that this review process would result in an "inevitable delay" to plans, the action was withdrawn in December 2025 following mediation with residents.

Procurement

In July 2025, Transport Infrastructure Ireland began to discuss contracts with potential bidders. Three major contracts would be let:
In September 2025, a consortium of companies announced that they would be bidding for contracts.

Operations

If opened as planned, MetroLink is due to operate a single line between Charlemont and Swords. All services are proposed to operate from Charlemont to the airport, with only some trains operating the full length of the line from Charlemont to Estuary.
According to an initial planning report, the metro is proposed to operate for 19 hours per day, with services every 3 minutes at peak times. The planning report proposed a journey time to the city centre of 25 minutes from Swords and 20 minutes from Dublin Airport. A single-bore tunnel was selected for the underground section, in order to save on the cost of a twin-bore tunnel.