Initial proposals The original idea for the two Metro lines in Dublin can be attributed to the November 2001 "Platform for Change" report by the Dublin Transportation Office (now part of the
National Transport Authority). The purpose of the report was to come up with an integrated transportation strategy for the greater Dublin region. In its report, the DTO outlined plans for three Metro lines. The first was a north–south line which would run from
Swords to
Shanganagh via
Dublin Airport,
Finglas,
Broadstone,
the city centre,
Ranelagh,
Sandyford and
Cherrywood. The second would link Tallaght West to
Tallaght and then continue through the south-western suburbs of Dublin to the city centre. The third line would run in an orbital pattern, with a spur off the Swords-Shanganagh line at Finglas and then continue via
Blanchardstown and
Clondalkin to Tallaght, where it would connect with the other line. Dublin Airport carried over 21 million passengers in 2006. This figure was projected to grow rapidly (as it did to 27.9 million by 2016). As a result,
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) identified a medium-capacity public-transport link to Dublin Airport as one of the most important gaps in the Dublin rail network. Two options were seen as a solution to the problem: • A spur off the existing
DART line to Dublin Airport, as proposed by
Iarnród Éireann. • A metro system, running from Swords through Dublin Airport and on to the city centre, in line with the National Transport Authority's suggestions. The metro option emerged as the preferred option, as it provided both an airport link and a commuter link. It was described by TII as "an important commuter link for the communities and institutions of North Dublin City and County". Metro North (from Swords to St. Stephen's Green) and Metro West were adopted as government policy with the launch of the Transport 21 programme in 2005. Three potential routes for Metro North were published by the Railway Procurement Agency in February 2006. The first route option went through Finglas and made use of the former
Broadstone railway alignment. The second route option went through
Ballymun and was eventually adopted as the final route. The third route option went through
Whitehall. After public consultation, the RPA announced in October 2006 that they had selected a routing known as the 'East/Central Combined Route' that ran through Ballymun. A slightly updated route, with changes in proposed station names, some modifications to station locations, and details of proposed overground and underground routes through Swords was released by the RPA in March 2008. On 22 March 2007, TII began the procurement process for Metro North. In October 2007 it announced that it had a shortlist of four consortia interested in building Metro North. Draft Environmental Impact Statements were published in early 2008. On 17 September 2008, the RPA applied for a railway order to An Bord Pleanála. Oral hearings were heard during 2009 and 2010. On 5 October 2011, Metro North was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála. It was speculated by the media that the Metro North Project would be indefinitely deferred on 12 August 2011 following a review by
Leo Varadkar, then
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. This was confirmed on 10 November 2011. In September 2015, it was announced that Metro North was being relaunched, with a revised opening date of 2027. In September 2021, government representatives indicated that the 2027 target would not be met and "was never likely to be achievable", The new proposal incorporated considerable changes from the original. MetroLink is intended to provide improved integration with heavy rail by including a new integrated heavy rail and metro interchange station at
Glasnevin to provide transfers to and from the planned
DART+ West and South West lines. In addition the route was changed to provide an interchange with existing DART services at
Tara Street station in the centre of the city. The tunnel construction method was changed from twin-bore to single bore to minimise disruption and reduce costs. Some of the MetroNorth stations would have required expensive mined construction while all MetroLink stations have been designed to be constructed using the simpler cut and cover method. MetroLink is to be
driverless and the stations are to incorporate
platform screen doors, while MetroNorth was designed to be manually operated by drivers using
line-of-sight. These plans were submitted to
An Bord Pleanála in September 2022. Initially the route was to extend further south to Sandyford, subsuming the
Luas Green Line tracks from
Charlemont down to its final destination in Sandyford. According to those plans,
Luas services on the Green Line would cease between Sandyford and Charlemont, and be replaced by Metro services. In March 2018 public consultations were held and the plan met with considerable opposition regarding the potential closure of the Green Line for an undetermined amount of time and issues regarding pedestrian and cyclist permeability along the line. As a result, revised plans were published in March 2019, where the Metrolink line would be delivered in two phases, meaning the Green Line would not be upgraded during the first phase. The Green Line Upgrade would happen as a second phase at a later date after Metrolink from Swords to Charlemont was operational. By developing in two phases the closure of the Green Line could be reduced and more time given to upgrading the existing pedestrian crossings to be fully grade separated through the use of underpasses. Before this opposition, a railway order was due to be sought for MetroLink in the third quarter of 2019. As of 2018, the revised MetroLink project was proposed to open in 2027. Engineering consultant firm
SNC-Lavalin was appointed by TII in March 2020 as operations advisor for the project. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, work was halted, however in November 2020 ground investigation works resumed with work in Swords. Originally the Railway Order was intended to be submitted in the first half of 2021 but actual submission occurred in September 2022. As of April 2023, a number of bodies (including Iarnród Éireann, Dublin Airport,
Abbey Theatre and
Mater Hospital) raised concerns about aspects of the proposals outlined in the planning application.
Michael O'Leary, the chief executive of
Ryanair, also criticised the proposed route, stating that not everyone using Dublin Airport is "going to St Stephen's Green" and suggesting that 90% of passengers are "going to suburban Dublin and down the country". In May 2025, it was reported that (subject to planning and other reviews), tendering for the construction work could commence in 2026, with works potentially commencing "18 months later" during 2028. Planning permission was granted in October 2025. While TII reportedly stated that this review process would result in an "inevitable delay" to plans, the action was withdrawn in December 2025 following mediation with residents.
Procurement In July 2025, Transport Infrastructure Ireland began to discuss contracts with potential bidders. Three major contracts would be let: • construction of the northern section of the line – estimated at €3.347 billion • construction of the southern section of the line including tunnelling – estimated at €4.565 billion • rolling stock, stations, railway systems, operations and maintenance – this would be a design, build, finance, operate and maintain contract. In September 2025, a consortium of companies (
Alstom,
John Laing,
FCC Group,
Meridiam and
RATP Group) announced that they would be bidding for contracts. In February 2026, the bidding process for the northern and southern sections began. ==Operations==