Meaningful debate needed on MetroLink

TAKEN at face value, the proposed MetroLink route recently unveiled ticks a lot of boxes in terms of Dublin’s future public transport requirements.

At long last, it provides a rail link to Dublin Airport and Swords, one of the fastest growing and most populous towns in Ireland. It links with other rail services such as DART and Luas. Sensibly, much of the route will be underground, meaning the metro won’t have to compete with motorists and buses for road space.

While Metro North has previously been shelved due to the economic downturn, the renamed MetroLink project is far more ambitious in its scale. On the Southside, it will involve an upgrade of the Luas Green to metro standard as far as Sandyford. Luas services will operate to Bride’s Glen from here.

The stats are pretty impressive. Trains will run between the city and Dublin Airport every two minutes and will be capable of carrying 15,000 people in each direction per hour. The full 26km MetroLink journey, north to south, will take 50 minutes.

The project comes with a €3 billion price tag, although the eventual cost will most likely be higher. All going to plan, the MetroLink is projected to come into operation by 2027. The project has been fully costed, with the economic benefits expected to outweigh the capital expenditure.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and the National Transport Authority (NTA) have commenced a public consultation process and point out that the proposed route is subject to change.

Already, the project has been embroiled in controversy with the prospect of two major sporting clubs having to vacate their grounds during the construction period. A number of homes in Ranelagh and some city centre apartments will also have to be acquired under compulsory purchase orders if the route proceeds as planned.

Clearly, there are a lot of hoops to jump through if MetroLink is to commence construction as planned in 2021. Meaningful consultation with affected parties will be vital if lengthy legal challenges to the project are to be avoided.

Otherwise, for all the project’s bells and whistles, our capital city could be left waiting another decade for this badly needed public transport investment.