More than €200 million has been spent on the long-delayed MetroLink project over the past two years, despite major construction work yet to begin, newly released documents show.
The ambitious transport scheme, designed to link Charlemont to Swords via Dublin Airport through an underground rail line, has faced repeated setbacks, including planning challenges and legal action.
According to briefing material prepared by the Department of Transport for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), over €200m was expended across 2024 and 2025 on planning, design, staffing and preparatory works. In 2024 alone, approximately €65m, including VAT, was spent advancing the project.
Among the milestones recorded last year were the appointment of Seán Sweeney as programme director and the project’s progression through the statutory planning process. This included oral hearings and public consultations overseen by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
While enabling works have been under way since 2024, substantive construction is not expected to commence until late 2027 or early 2028. The first phases of the project were put out to tender in early February.
The scheme also faced a High Court challenge late last year when 19 residents of Dartmouth Square in Ranelagh secured permission to seek a judicial review of the planning approval. The legal action was ultimately withdrawn following mediation, after agreement was reached to purchase up to 15 homes in the area.
Mr Sweeney previously defended the reported €30m cost of acquiring the properties, describing it as “a no-brainer” in order to prevent further delays to the project.
Looking ahead, the Government has committed €2bn in funding for MetroLink between 2026 and 2030 under the National Development Plan, signalling its intention to push the project forward despite earlier obstacles.
Hugh Creegan, interim chief executive of the National Transport Authority, told PAC members in January that a consortium had been assembled to form an engineering design team. He noted that “up to 1,000 people could be working on the project at a single time” during certain phases.
However, members of the committee have raised concerns about oversight and transparency. Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly said regular scrutiny would be essential given the scale of public investment.
“With over €200m already spent outside of that allocation without breaking ground, I'd like to see not just periodic but regular expenditure updates for this project,” he said. “It is critical that full value is realised for the MetroLink allocation over the next four years.”
A project spokesperson added that at peak mobilisation, as many as “8,000 workers” could be involved, encompassing the full range of specialist expertise required to deliver the complex metro system.
