IDOM leads Ireland’s first metro system project, Metrolink
MetroLink, Dublin’s first metro system, reached a key milestone when the Railway Order was officially approved, allowing the project to transition from the development phase to the delivery phase. This step marks the beginning of preparations for construction packages of strategic infrastructure, one of the country’s largest transportation projects in history.
Since 2018, IDOM has led the engineering services for MetroLink in collaboration with Jacobs for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). For over eight years, our teams have developed the reference design and supported the client throughout the regulatory process, including environmental impact studies, public consultations, oral hearings, and the legal procedures necessary for project approval.
MetroLink is a strategic infrastructure project that will connect southern Dublin with the city center, the airport, and the town of Swords to the north. It will use a fully automated, high-capacity, high-frequency metro system designed to integrate with other public transportation networks.
The new line will be approximately 18.8 km long, combining sections above ground and a tunnel excavated using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) technology, connecting the south of the Dublin metropolitan area with the city center, the airport, and the Swords area to the north. The system will be fully automated, with driverless trains (GoA4) and a capacity designed to meet demand of up to 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
MetroLink will integrate with the main public transportation networks, including rail, tram, bus, and DART. This integration will contribute to a more sustainable, accessible, and efficient mobility model aligned with the principles of Urban Transport 4.0.
The €9.5 billion project has been developed using BIM Level 2 methodology in all disciplines, consolidating a collaborative and comprehensive approach that will be essential in this new phase. The start of delivery is a significant landmark in the realization of MetroLink and in positioning Dublin alongside other major European capitals in terms of public transportation.
