Dublin airport rail link cost more than doubles
The Metrolink plan is expected to come into operation by the early 2030s.
**Dublin airport rail link cost more than doubles**
The minimum projected cost of a transport scheme linking Dublin city centre with its airport has more than doubled over the past four years.
The Metrolink project is due to begin operating in the early 2030s and is now expected to cost between €14.4bn (£12.3bn) and €17.5bn (£15bn).
In 2022, the estimated cost was put at between €7.16bn (£6.14bn) and €12.25bn (£10.50bn).
The plan is intended to link the north and south sides of the city and will stretch 19.4km, with 16 stations, most of them underground.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland chief executive Lorcan O'Connor said the final cost will not be known until bids are submitted and the government approves the figure late in 2027.
"Nobody is denying that that's a lot of money, but I think the important thing to note is the benefits that this project will generate," O'Connor said.
"What the business case is showing is a very compelling investment case with a significant return on that money, and the kind of benefits we're talking about there aren't just faster journey times, reduced congestion, or reduced CO2 emissions, but far wider benefits as well."
Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien said he believes MetroLink would be a gamechanger for Dublin.
"MetroLink will not only transform connectivity and access but also strengthen our economic competitiveness, support sustainable growth," O'Brien said.
The Irish Department of Transport has previously said trains would run every three minutes at peak times and could carry up to 20,000 passengers an hour in each direction.
MetroLink will operate from north of Swords to Charlemont Street in the south of Dublin city centre.
It will connect with the DART (Dublin's train service) and Luas (tram service) networks.
In comments last year, a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Transport said MetroLink would be fully integrated into the public transport system in the Greater Dublin Area and beyond.
"Both Tara and Glasnevin Stations will be accessible to rail passengers travelling to and from Belfast via transfer at Connolly station," they previously said.
They also said that "improvements" to rail lines from Connolly Station to Drogheda will "benefit passengers" travelling from Belfast to Dublin.