Billionaires rubbish Metrolink; local reps bite back

Local Fine Gael councillor Luke Corkery has criticised recent comments in the press from Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary and businessman Dermot Desmond.

Fine Gael are typically seen as the party of enterprise and friendly to big business, but Corkery said that recent comments from O’Leary and Desmond are “more billionaire takes that nobody asked for.”

Last week, the Irish Times ran an interview with Desmond, who claimed that AI would make the Metrolink “obsolete” without providing evidence for the claim.

In the article, Desmond claimed, “I think it will be useless, out of date in 10 or 15 years’ time. This (the Metrolink) is something that is not going to be required; it shouldn’t be planned.”

Desmond claimed that “AI and autonomous vehicles will cut the number of vehicles on the roads dramatically – I think you need to look at what’s going to happen in the future and then plan backwards.”

The interview itself received criticism online, with Green councillor and transport spokesperson Feljin Jose saying, “stop printing the opinions of billionaires and calling it news.”

For councillor Corkery, any criticism of the Metrolink project is personal; the Swords councillor said, “I’m tired of the media airing this nonsense, and I know my constituents are too.”

With the Metrolink running through Swords, Corkery has been an advocate for the delay-hit project to get off the ground despite opposition to the plan.

“MetroLink isn’t something to be constantly trivialised – it’s something real that we are actively planning towards. It’s a critical and long-awaited piece of infrastructure that will transform our public transport network in Dublin,” Corkery said.

“The line is expected to carry up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction, or up to 53 million passengers annually, between the city centre, Dublin Airport and the rapidly growing town of Swords. It will ease congestion, cut commute times, and deliver a long-overdue alternative to dependency on cars and buses.”

“It will also unlock opportunities throughout Dublin’s Northside, along a corridor that could really do with the investment.”

Corkery remarked, “commuters in Swords know the deal; we’re well used to it.”

“Some of us opt for an earlier bus in case the next one doesn’t show up. Mr O’Leary and Mr Desmond are chauffeur-driven to their destinations. Some of us put up with traffic chaos every single day. Those same billionaires think the solution to that is more cars.”

“This is about delivering for working people who simply want to get from A to B without spending half their day in traffic; let’s keep moving, and get it built.”

In July, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary commented that the Metrolink was a “waste of money,” despite the fact that the Metrolink project would help passengers travel to and from Dublin Airport more easily. 

The Ryanair boss asserted, “we are wasting billions of taxpayers’ money on an airport train that nobody is going to use and that we don’t need.”

O’Leary’s claim that the Metrolink “nobody is going to use” doesn’t hold up to scrutiny; the Department of Transport estimates that as many as 20,000 passengers use the Metrolink per hour in each direction.

The Luas, for a similar frame of reference, has carried out 50 million journeys since it was launched in 2004.

Labour TD Duncan Smith remarked, ”he (O’Leary) is a savvy businessman but let’s be honest, the Metrolink will cut into Ryanair’s indirect profits by reducing the reliance on airport transfers, parking and taxis, and that’s what really bothers him.”

“The commission Ryanair will get from these services, and indeed their partnerships with 3rd party operators, is put at risk by Metrolink. This is a financial concern for Ryanair, plain and simple, much like their commission for charging passengers extra for oversized bags, it has nothing to do with what is good for their customers.

“Dubliners are stuck in daily gridlock. As O’Leary knows well, as he bought himself a taxi license to drive in bus lanes and skip the traffic. Most people can’t afford to game the system like that. Metrolink is their best chance at affordable, reliable transport that serves communities, not corporate profits.

“As a consistent advocate for Metrolink in Swords, I find it insulting to hear this kind of drive-by commentary from someone who clearly doesn’t rely on public transport to get to work. Dublin deserves better than a transport plan from a billionaire, whose only experience with buses is when he is pretending to be one.”

In the Summer Economic Statement, the government committed €2 billion to the Metrolink project, an indication that the government is keen to make the Metrolink the key infrastructure project of its term and protect it from future economic shocks.

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said, “the Department’s allocation under the National Development Plan reflects this Government’s unwavering commitment to delivering a modern, safe, and sustainable transport network for all, as well as protecting and expanding the road network.”

“This funding will enable us to progress transformative projects like MetroLink, DART+, and BusConnects, while also strengthening regional connectivity and supporting rural mobility through initiatives such as Connecting Ireland. These investments are not just about infrastructure—they are about supporting communities, reducing emissions, and building a transport system that serves every corner of our country.”

With lingering concerns over the long-delayed National Children’s Hospital, which started construction three Taoiseachs ago, there is a clear drive within the current government to have at least some form of progress on the long-delayed Metrolink project within this government’s lifetime.

O’Brien is adamant that once the project gets off the ground, it will be “transformative” for Dublin – now the government just needs to build the actual thing.

The Minister told Newstalk in July, “if you look at the area of Swords and beyond – which is the size of a city now – the Metrolink will provide a rail route into the city that can carry 20,000 passengers an hour.”

The cost of the Metrolink has been a political hot potato, with some sources indicating it could cost north of the €20 billion mark, with Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe asserting that the number is somewhere around the €11 billion range.

Project director Sean Sweeney said the true cost of the project will not truly be known until the tender process for the project begins sometime in 2027.