Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

CatInABox · 17-06-2026 03:58PM

Read through the recent Dail transport committee, and as you might have expected, it's heavy on Indira contract.

There's a little nugget of info on Glasnevin station, on the phasing of the works on the two IR lines. Looks like they want to take possession of the lines at each Christmas time over the 2028 - 2031 period. If anyone was planning on travelling home for Christmas around these times, make other arrangements….

jd · 21-06-2026 12:21PM

Bit in Sindo today

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/metrolink-could-open-in-phases-after-breaking-ground-next-summer-minister-darragh-obrien-says/a/157349440.html

Obviously the tunnelling would be complete before Airport to say O'Connell street could open. I would have thought that Swords to Airport (Dardistown Depot) could open first

Kermit.de.frog · 21-06-2026 12:54PM

Mr O’Brien said the MetroLink would be built “potentially on a phased basis, starting north of Swords, into Dublin city centre, potentially open that piece, and then move on with construction of the other piece”

Language is important here. To take that literally that would imply that it wouldn't be finished by mid 2030's if they are going to wait for one phase to be finished before even starting construction on the rest.

Just get on with it. It's 19kms. No need to do it in phases.

Jayuu · 21-06-2026 01:28PM

Question from somebody who doesn't know anything about TBM operations. How is the material from the boring removed? Is it just brought back down the tunnel to the first entrance. If that is the case it is possible to build this in stages? Surely it wouldn't be practical to complete a section and bring it into operation if materials from boring further ahead has to be brought back to the main entrance point.

jd · 21-06-2026 01:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568095#Comment_124568095

yes - that was what I was thinking. Tunnelling would have to be completed.Doesn't the railway order specify that the spoil is brought back to Northwood?

ArcadiaJunction · 21-06-2026 02:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568031#Comment_124568031

This is not reassuring at all.

Consonata · 21-06-2026 02:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568031#Comment_124568031

There is a seperate team which is building the station boxes to the TBM crew so this won't be how this works in practice.

It seems reasonable enough to open the northern section ASAP so they can start doing testing and training drivers whilst the longer tunnelled section is being completed.

murphaph · 21-06-2026 05:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568293#Comment_124568293

There are no drivers ;-) But I get what you mean and I agree.

josip · 21-06-2026 06:02PM

If there are multiple phases, wouldn't there also be multiple ground breakings and multiple commissionings and more press releases and photo ops?

Cookiemunster · 21-06-2026 06:32PM

Did anyone actually read the article? He says that it could be done North of Swords to the city centre as phase one. That's basically 90% of the project. It's been public knowledge for months (and discussed on here) that this section would most likely be one open first.

The TBM will be sending spoil back the full length of the tunnel, so nothing South of Northwood can start until that's finished its work. Even if it opens to the city centre first, the whole tunnel will have to be built first.

Timeofyourlife · 21-06-2026 06:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124568031#Comment_124568031

Yea agreed. Rediculous how long it takes to do public works in ireland. Drop an email to the chinese government they would have team over and job done in 24 months

MJohnston · 21-06-2026 07:06PM

✅ People not reading

✅ "The Chinese would have it done in weeks"

✅ "I know better than these professional engineers"

It's the boards.ie trifecta - congrats folks!

cgcsb · 21-06-2026 10:15PM

Obsessed with the chinese again. A chinese contractor would take at least the same time but most likely longer to complete the task within Irish Law on the same project.

spacetweek · 22-06-2026 02:03PM

These projects take 4-5 years to construct in China.

As for phases, the whole tunnel will be constructed but because station boxes will be making different rates of progress you could open airport to O’Connell Street to the public while work continues south of there.

spacetweek · 22-06-2026 11:37PM

https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2026/06/22/luas-finglas-line-could-begin-construction-in-2028-minister-says/

"There is speculation in the transport world that the bill for MetroLink – the largest public project in the history of the State – could be in the range of €15 billion to €18 billion."

"Speculation in the transport world" sounds very armchairy. Sure this forum itself is "speculation in the transport world."

With a 9-12 billion range before, I'd say 12-15 is more likely.

Pete_Cavan · 23-06-2026 11:28AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124572406#Comment_124572406

Given the source of the article, I'd assume "Speculation in the transport world" refers to Irish Times staff talking sh!te by the water cooler.

Bsharp · 23-06-2026 04:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124573041#Comment_124573041

the transport world is all targeting the initial price range in an effort to win the job

ArcadiaJunction · 24-06-2026 04:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124569033#Comment_124569033

So this section carrying passengers into the airport?

See this is why it not connecting with the northern line somewhere north of the metro terminus actually still bothers me. It could be feeding millions of passengers from north to Belfast into the airport from the get go. Connected to the national rail network on day one?

Am I totally off the ball here?

orangerhyme · 24-06-2026 04:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124576708#Comment_124576708

Yeah I don't get why it's not connecting with Dart at Donabate or somewhere.

KrisW1001 · 24-06-2026 05:07PM

This design has the biggest bang for the buck. Extension northward to meet DART is an obvious future enhancement, and is easier than converting Green Line to metro, but you have to limit the scope of a project somewhere, or you’ll never start it.

ArmaniJeanss · 24-06-2026 05:18PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124576715#Comment_124576715

I guess it avoids nonsense like "they are spending €20B connecting Tara Street to Donabate, two stations which already have a straight-line connection along the coast" being used to diss the project.

Clearly it would seem a logical future extension though.

Kermit.de.frog · 24-06-2026 07:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124576708#Comment_124576708

Could it be that Iarnroid Eireann didn't want it? Won't they get their own line at some point off the northern line? Wouldn't it totally undermine that potential cash cow for them in the future?

Also, if you think about it, making that connection for metrolink would destroy a cost benefit analysis because the simple calculation the malcontents would make is why do it at all when you can build a small branch to the airport off the northern line?

Think it's left out very intentionally tbh.

I don't think it's for cynical reasons though. I think they genuinely want to just get the thing underway then once it's safely under construction they can look at other options to extend.

Consonata · 24-06-2026 07:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124577098#Comment_124577098

I'm pretty certain it is for none of the reasons that you have outlined, and just because they didn't want to make the project too big so that it could potentially sink, as they did with green line tie in

bk · 24-06-2026 08:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124577098#Comment_124577098

Irish Rail wouldn't get a say in something like this! The Clongriffin line is likely never going to happen. It was already studied and rejected by the report into it. Any new study into a possible Clongriffin line would also have to look at the option of extending Metrolink to the Northern line as an alternative option and once that happens, a Clongriffin connection would be dead in the water.

Metrolink connection would be half the distance and more importantly wouldn't require a second large underground heavy rail station and a second tunnel. Extending Metrolink to the Northern line will be a fraction of the cost of extending DART to the Airport.

Dublin - Metrolink (Swords to Charlemont only)

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