MetroLink Railway Order approved

A&L Goodbody welcomes the decision by An Coimisiún Pleanála to grant a Railway Order for MetroLink today. The Railway Order marks a major milestone and a positive step towards delivering the MetroLink, a critical infrastructure project for Dublin and Ireland. The Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) team has secured consent for one of the most important projects proposed under the National Development Plan. MetroLink will facilitate a step change in public transport for the next generation. It will allow the public to shift from using private cars to public transport, a change that is required for Ireland to meet its climate action obligations.

As legal adviser to TII on the MetroLink Project, we have assisted through all stages of the statutory consenting process. Our support included project development, stakeholder engagement, and regulatory strategy from submission through to determination. ALG provided advice across planning, environmental, property and commercial matters to help secure the development consent needed to advance the project. The Railway Order decision facilitates MetroLink proceeding to procurement/ contracting stage in the near term and then the construction stage.

The Railway Order authorises all necessary works for the construction of MetroLink, a fully automated and mostly underground metro route, 18.8km in length, from Swords to Dublin city centre. The route will have 16 stops serving areas including Dublin Airport, Ballymun, Glasnevin and Phibsborough.

Today’s decision follows the Government’s allocation of €2bn in the National Development Plan Review for the commencement of MetroLink construction. The Government has also announced its intention to introduce legislation to establish a dedicated State delivery body for MetroLink.

Date published: 2 October 2025