Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

Well , well, well... I certainly support this... no more interest in the usual welfare bonuses galore ... in other countries tries, looking to shore up public finances, they are cutting welfare and leaving workers alone. Will never happen here, bit one can dream...

"However, the hands of the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure are likely to be strengthened by the threatening international situation, even if a feared decline in corporation tax revenues does not arrive in the coming months.

“The likelihood of cost-of-living measures in this year’s budget is very remote . . . equally there will have to be a real consideration in relation to promised tax cuts,” said Mr Richmond, while noting that capital spending on vital infrastructural projects would be prioritised."

Not when he's talking mince about all the magic tram lines we could have if only MetroLink is scrapped

Without getting into specifics, lets just say in terms of the engagement the project team (who hopefully will in 12 months or whatever need to start work on this) has had with the political system the sense has been one of detachment and not quite there in terms of the support that would be expected or necessary. The article, if you read it closely, is an outworking of that and sending a clear signal to the political side it needs to 'get on board'.

Personally I support the project as transformative, while accepting it will in all likelihood cost more, overrun in terms of timescale and cause enormous disruption. I can live with that as I see huge long-term benefits. However, to a politician where the incentives are all short-run in nature there is little near-term upside. The term 'another children's hospital' is seared on the political mind, and remember this project will be a multiple of this.

Just because something is in a PfG or the minister says something, or because we believe in the merits does unfortunately not mean it will automatically proceed. That is not to say it wont go ahead, but there are risks.

Which is brings us to one of Sweeney's more candid admissions: his concern about the lukewarm interest from the global contractor market. Despite MetroLink's scale, significance and budget, many world-class builders remain unconvinced - and with good reason.

Ireland's record on delivering major capital projects is, at best, mixed. Years of political hesitation, timeline slippage, postponed announcements and even outright cancellations have undermined confidence. Metrolink has been "coming soon" for almost two decades. For international contractors weighing risk and opportunity, that kind of track record is a red flag.

[…]

Sweeney said he was a “little bit surprised” by the Irish government’s approach to the MetroLink project, which diverged from the level of political backing mega-projects got in Australia or New Zealand.“If it was really important to the premier [prime minister], it was made clear to the whole of government: remove the barriers. Make this happen. And there’s certainly not that sort of unilateral clearing of the barriers here,” he said.“These nation-building projects . . . basically they require someone, usually a prime minister or a premier, to say: ‘We’re doing it, and get out of the way’.”

Sweeney's candour in calling out that the markets simply aren't convinced this project is going to happen and aren't queuing up to bid for it, and highlighting the underlying problem - a complete lack of political will - is a genuine positive step.

The response to the challenge issued by Sweeney from Jack Chambers is lukewarm to say the least.

But Chambers warned that the Metrolink project still hadn’t come fully through the planning system, and until it had, they could only discuss it in theory.“It has yet to come through the planning system. We are awaiting that decision and whenever it does that will inform the next steps for government about what’s possible and what the timelines would be. It has had a very circuitous route over the last number of years. The planning system has been a contributor,” Chambers said.

Not exactly "we're doing it, and get out of the way".

More than money, someone in the Government needs to grab this project and drag it forward or it won't happen.

Does anyone know for sure — these cost estimates we keep getting for Metrolink, do they include the already sunk costs of the planning process?

I'm not sure what you're expecting? This is from last month:

Metrolink is a “critically important” project and the Government will continue to develop it even if there are economic shocks from a EU-US trade war, the transport minister has said.

Darragh O’Brien said he wants to see construction work begin on the Dublin Metro during this term of Government, which is due to last until 2029.

“We’re at a very advanced stage with Metrolink. It’s a critically important project not just for the airport and North Dublin — but for the region and indeed nationally,” Mr O’Brien said.

And the planning process is out of their hands. Ireland, like every other western country, moved to an independent planning process decades ago.

Is there even a teaspoon of earth dug out of the ground yet? No? There's your evidence.

Spending millions preparing a tender to present to a shower of wasters , who likely will try abort the project... dodnt build it when it could have been for a pittance, in 2011 or 2012 or whenever MN had planning...

You're forgetting the crash... that's interesting, borrowed tens of billions to squander ... imagine keeping irish tradesmen at home ajd building it, when tender prices would have been way lower... a mad concept...

Why would they be digging earth when the planning has not gone through yet? Wasting money and doing something that hasn't even got through the planning is pointless. Work has to be done in a logical order.

Digging a big hole up by the M50 at Ballymun isn't going to speed things up!

Absolute lie and misinformation... they provided the money and some opinions. They Absolutely and categorically, we're not dictating and micromanaging to us, about how we went about the tax increases and spending decreases... which is a shame, because if they had control and the decisions weren't all based on politically the easiest choice, this country would be far the better for it...