More than €360 million has been spent on the MetroLink rail project, with construction of the 19km line yet to start, new figures from the Department of Transport show.
The latest figures for expenditure on Dublin’s planned underground line, which is still awaiting final Government approval, show €138 million was spent on the project in 2025, up from €65 million in 2024, with the total “lifetime” spend to the end of last year having hit €360 million.
The figures, prepared by the department’s metro and light rail investment division in recent weeks, do not include the agreed purchase of homes in Dartmouth Square in Ranelagh, which former MetroLink programme director Seán Sweeney said would cost approximately €30 million.
Sweeney resigned from the €550,000-a year job at the start of April citing family reasons.
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New cost estimates for MetroLink, the first in four years, have been completed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), and were submitted to the National Transport Authority (NTA) at the end of March.
The NTA said it is reviewing this updated business case for the project in collaboration with the department. If the Government approves the new costs, TII will be allowed to seek construction tenders for the line, which would run from Swords in north Dublin to Charlemont near Ranelagh in south Dublin, serving Dublin Airport and the city centre.
“That detailed review is expected to be completed in June, at which stage the Department of Transport and Government will be in a position to make a final determination in relation to this approval point,” the NTA said.
The estimated costs of the line were last presented by the transport authorities to government in 2022 for approval to submit a planning application for the line. At that time, €9.5 billion was calculated as the midpoint of a “credible” cost range of between €7.16 billion and €12.25 billion.
TII chief executive Lorcan O’Connor said although he was not in a position to disclose the new costs, there was “clearly going to be an increase in costs given the inflation that has taken place over the last years”.
However, he said there is “an extremely strong cost benefit ratio” outlined in the business case and he anticipated a decision from Government before the Dáil summer recess in July that would allow the project to proceed to tender this year. “There’s nothing that I am aware of that would be casting doubt on those timelines at this stage.”
Although a full breakdown of the expenditure for 2025 is not yet available, it includes staff costs, consultancy payments, engineering investigations, design work and some land acquisition, although not the purchase of 10 Victorian houses at Dartmouth Square that back on to the proposed Charlemont stop.
If the Government approves the updated business this summer, TII will sign contracts for enabling works by the end of this year, which would result in extensive on-street works to move utilities starting next year.
Tunnelling contracts would be awarded by the end of next year, which would allow construction to start by 2028. Construction timelines will depend on the bids selected, but work could be completed within eight years.