Dublin airport rail link given the go-ahead

An artist's impression of what the Dublin Airport's MetroLink campus could look like

A transport project which will link Dublin city centre to its airport has been given the go ahead, Ireland's planning board An Coimisiún Pleanála has announced.

The Metrolink plan is expected to come into operation by the early 2030s and could cost €9.5bn (£8.16bn).

It aims to connect the north and south sides of the city and will be 19.4km in length with 16 stations mostly underground.

The Irish Department of Transport said there would be trains running every three minutes at peak times, capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Irish Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien said he was delighted by the planning board's decision.

"This will be hugely transformative for the North Dublin region, for Dublin and indeed for our airport, for growth, for jobs, for houses," he said.

"It's our job to deliver it and we will."

The Metrolink will run from north of Swords to Charlemont Street in the south of Dublin city centre.

It will interchange with the DART (Dublin's train service) and Luas (tram service) transport systems.

'Thousands of jobs'

Former Transport Minister Eamon Ryan previously described the plan as a ''megaproject'' and said he was confident it could be delivered on time and within budget.

He also added that the cost estimates of €9.5bn were "excessively cautious and conservative".

A spokesperson for DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, said the project would be a "key element" of the airport's growth beyond 40 million passengers a year.

"The development of MetroLink will enhance the unique role played by Dublin Airport as the island's main gateway to the rest of the world, while underpinning the economy at large by facilitating tourism, foreign direct investment, trade and many thousands of jobs," they said.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reports that while the project has now been given the green light by An Comisiún Pleanala, it must get final Cabinet approval before construction can begin.

Construction is expected to take several years with the final costs not yet known.

What does this mean for NI commuters?

A spokesperson for the Irish Department of Transport said the MetroLink will be fully integrated with the public transport system in the Greater Dublin Area and beyond.

"It will provide an interconnection with the heavy rail network at the existing Tara Street Station, and passengers will also be able to transfer to MetroLink at the new proposed Glasnevin Station, which will provide an interchange with the bus and commuter rail network in Dublin.

"Both Tara and Glasnevin Stations will be accessible to rail passengers traveling to and from Belfast via transfer at Connolly station," they said.

They added that "improvements" to rail lines from Connolly Station to Drogheda will "benefit passengers" travelling from Belfast to Dublin.

Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty said the announcement of Dublin's Metrolink project is "fantastic news for people across Ireland".

But the SDLP's opposition infrastructure representative added that the progress made is in contrast to the "complete failure to deliver on the promise of rail in the north".

In July 2024, airport rail links and a proposed new station at Craigavon were among the recommendations of the final report from the All-Island Strategic Rail Review.

A plan to provide a railway link to Belfast City Airport is also being considered by the Northern Ireland Executive.

None of Northern Ireland's three airports currently have a railway link.