Planning permission for Dublin’s MetroLink will be lodged this September, transport minister Eamon Ryan confirmed in a statement yesterday.
The service will be mostly underground, running from Swords to Charlemont and is due to commence in the early 2030s.
Minister Ryan has received permission from Cabinet for the fully automated underground train system, which will be 19.4km in length and have 16 stations; including Glasnevin, Ballymun and the airport.
When services start, there will be trains every three minutes during peak periods. The system will have a capacity of 20 trains operating per hour each way.
Speaking on Newstalk radio on Tuesday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said MetroLink was ‘long-overdue’ but acknowledged that it will be an expensive project. The current estimate for the project budget is €9.5 billion.