TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE IRELAND (TII) is to buy ten homes on Dartmouth Square as part of the deal that saw a judicial review against the Metrolink dropped.

An application for a judicial review of An Coimisiún Pleanála’s decision to grant permission to the project had been lodged by a number of residents of the south Dublin suburbs near where the €9.5bn project will have a terminus at Charlemont.

There were 20 people listed in the case against the planning board’s decision and many of the objectors are residents of leafy Dartmouth Square.

It had been warned that this judicial review would cause a delay to the MetroLink of at least 6-9 moths, but that there could be a delay of 2-4 years in the worst-case scenario.

Yesterday, Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said he had received an “early Christmas present for us all” with news that the judicial review had been withdrawn”.

Great news on MetroLink. The mediation process has worked and the judicial review has been withdrawn. We’re now full steam ahead to tender and deliver this transformative project for North Dublin, Dublin city and the wider region. pic.twitter.com/KHPMjcikav

— Darragh O'Brien (@DarraghOBrienTD) December 23, 2025

He further remarked that there is now a “clean planning decision which will give everyone the certainty needed about next steps”.

Speaking today to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, O’Brien thanked the residents for “engaging on this”.

He then added that around ten houses will be purchased by TII as part of the deal that saw the judicial review dropped.

O’Brien said he wasn’t “directly involved in the discussions”.

It was noted on Morning Ireland that the last house to be sold on Dartmouth Square went for €2.7 million last month.

O’Brien said he wouldn’t “speculate” and added: “Houses are different sizes, different types as well.”

O’Brien said he hasn’t yet seen the “details” of the purchase but added that he welcomes it.

He said there are “no negatives with this”.

“There will be a cost associated,” said O’Brien, “and obviously the cost associated will be managed and will be managed carefully.”

O’Brien yesterday said it was “full steam ahead to tender” and this morning said he expects this process to “take a period of time”.

“We three consortia already who have publicly stated that they will be bidding for this.

“With a fair wind and everything, we could start enabling works in 2027 and start building toward the end of 2027.

“It is a detailed tender, a lot of work has been done on it, but I expect that now we’ll be able to put that out in 2026.”

O’Brien said it should take 7-8 years to build the Metrolink and added that he has asked for it to be opened in phases.

A ministerial brief issued at the start of this year put a worst-cast scenario cost of over €23 billion on the Metrolink project.

However, it also cited a more likely estimate of between €7.16 billion and €12.25 billion.

O’Brien said this €23 billion figure will be “far off the mark” and that he “expects further updated projections early in the new year”.

He added that the likely estimate of around €7-€12 billion will be higher after this updated projection.

O’Brien also said he wouldn’t speculate on what the updated figure might be put that it will be publicised when he gets it.