Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AN ESTIMATED EIGHT thousand workers will be needed to build the MetroLink, according to transport officials, as the contract for the project is set to go to an international firm.
The revelation comes from a transport committee hearing this morning, where Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and National Transport Authority officials addressed a number of questions on the proposed undreground rail project.
The MetroLink, which is the single biggest public transport project in the history of the State, will have 16 stations running from Swords to Charlemont and is estimated to carry 53 million passengers annually.
The 18.8km route will have an end-to-end journey time of 25 minutes and serve residential areas including Ballymun and Glasnevin, as well as the City Centre and Dublin Airport, and will link to Irish Rail, Luas and bus services.
The TII lodged a Draft Railway Order seeking permission for the project in 2023, and the project was finally granted planning permission by An Coimisiún Pleanála last month.
It’s expected that construction on the project may not begin until at least 2028.
The most recent cost estimate for MetroLink from the TII totalled €9.5 billion , though this figure was published in 2021.
In his opening statement at the transport committee meeting today, TII chief executive Lorcan O’Connor dismissed this figure is “years old” and said that it does not reflect significant construction industry inflation in recent years, which will influence the updated cost profile.
“The MetroLink team are in the process of re-examining the overall cost forecast model,” O’Connor said.
“Once this has been completed and verified it will be presented to government.”
Sean Sweeney, the MetroLink’s programme director, confirmed that the lastest estimate will be published in early 2026, though he added that the project will more than likely cost more than that projected figure.
“Even that will be based off earlier designs, because the actual tender designs arent complete until next month,” Sweeney said.
“A full costing exercise can cost between three and six months, and if we waited, we wouldn’t be getting a cost back to government until the middle of the year.”
Sweeney added that construction is “a highly uncertain process”, and that it would be “beyond human comprehension to identify every risk and complexity in the pricing”.
Sweeney also told the transport committee that the construction of the MetroLink will require around 8,000 workers.
The contract will likely be handed to a major international contractor, Sweeney said, as an analysis of Irish construction firms found that none had the expertise required for the construction of the MetroLink.
When the contract for the construction of the MetroLink is handed over to a foreign firm, it is understood that they will bring a significant number of staff to Ireland from abroad for the project.
“They’ll bring in workers and subsidies this with Irish staff,” Sweeney said.
Asked where the workers will reside during the years-long construction project, Sweeney admitted: “We think it’s going to be a challenge, the constructors I’ve been talking to think it’s going to be a challenge.”
The TII are now working with the Land Development Agency to “see what options are” in terms of housing for staff, with the contruction of new homes in the Fingal area a possibility.
O’Connor added that the MetroLink, once completed, will be self-funded.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say