A contract worth up to \u20ac550 million to oversee the construction of Dublin\u2019s MetroLink rail line has been awarded to engineering and consultancy consortium Jacobs and Aecom.<\/p>\n
The 12-year \u201cprogramme delivery partner\u201d contract is the largest awarded to date in the development of the 19km rail line from Swords in north Co Dublin to Charlemont on the south side, serving Dublin Airport and the city centre.<\/p>\n
The announcement comes in advance of a decision by the Government, expected next week, on whether to allow the State\u2019s MetroLink developer Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to seek bids to build the line, based on new cost estimates completed earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The estimates, submitted as part of the MetroLink business case, have not yet been published but are expected to range from about \u20ac14 billion to \u20ac17.5 billion. The last published estimates, drawn up in advance of the planning application for the line four years ago, calculated \u20ac9.5 billion as the midpoint of a \u201ccredible\u201d cost range of between \u20ac7.16 billion and \u20ac12.25 billion.<\/p>\n
Jacobs and Aecom will be tasked with \u201censuring that all aspects of the MetroLink project are delivered within a defined budget, required time frame, and to the highest standards of safety and quality\u201d, said TII.<\/p>\n
Transport Infrastructure Ireland chief executive Lorcan O\u2019Connor said the appointment \u201cmarks a critical transition for MetroLink as we move from planning into full-scale delivery preparation\u201d. The multiyear contract ensured \u201cmaximum transparency and value for public money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
TII expects it will have spent almost \u20ac750 million on MetroLink<\/a> by the end of this year, before construction begins on the line.<\/p>\n The expenditure includes several large property deals. UK property group Hammerson sold more than one hectare (2.5 acres) of land on O\u2019Connell Street to TII in July<\/a> as part of a \u20ac80.7 million divestment of what the company said were \u201cnon-core\u201d assets.<\/p>\n Transport Infrastructure Ireland would not reveal the total cost of the purchase. A MetroLink station is planned for underneath the former Carlton cinema on O\u2019Connell Street.<\/p>\n