For more than two decades, MetroLink has been pitched as the answer to Dublin’s public transport crisis. Politicians, agencies, and consultants alike have claimed it to be a transformative project that will push Dublin into the ranks of modern European cities. But look closer, and the reality is far less impressive: one limited corridor, astronomical costs, endless delays, and no clear start or end date. The benefits are being exaggerated, while the risks and shortcomings are being felt at full capacity.

Meanwhile, the Metro Dublin project is a far more ambitious, integrated, and cost-efficient alternative that exists as a blueprint for what Dublin could have: a truly European metro network that outdoes but complements MetroLink instead of competing with it.

 MetroLink Map

Overstated Benefits

MetroLink is presented as if it will revolutionise transport in Dublin (“20,000 passengers per hour! More jobs, housing etc! Economic Growth! Zero Emissions!”). In reality, it’s just one line, 18.8 km in length, with 16 stations running from Swords to Charlemont. It serves a single corridor. Vast areas of Dublin that also necessitate such a system such as Rathfarnham, Blanchardstown, Beaumont Hospital, Tallaght, Clondalkin remain completely untouched. And while it is true that the line will be fully electric and therefore will have hardly any emissions, this still won’t do a whole lot to reduce emissions in Ireland especially given much of the city will still be vastly car and fossil fuel dependent due to being unserved by fast, frequent, affordable and reliable transit.

The much-hyped “integration” is equally thin (“Will connect to bus, Luas, DART and Intercity Rail to create the backbone of transit in Dublin!”). Apart from a few buses MetroLink will connect to just one Luas stop and two Irish Rail stations, which don’t even serve busy national rail routes. That’s hardly the kind of web of connectivity you’d expect for a €10-23 billion investment. Furthermore, Ireland has a habit of placing bus stops relatively near most Luas and Irish Rail stations, without proper bus terminals or connection points. Without seamless connectivity at bus terminals etc the usefulness of those connections is severely hampered; people just want to easily connect between modes, not walk 5 mins and cross a busy road just to get between connections. MetroLink will be a line, not a network, which will be helpful for those living along it, but far from the transformative backbone Dublin desperately needs.

I’m not saying the benefits of MetroLink don’t exist, just that they’re being severely overexaggerated. While there will be some level of connectivity to other transport modes, and it will provide fast and frequent service, it will only be along that one corridor. This all causes Irish people to not realise what they’re truly missing out on compared to most European countries.

Delivery Without Delivery

Despite endless press releases, tender processes, and news of international consortia circling the project, Dubliners are still left waiting. There is no confirmed start or end date. While many suggest early 2026 as the start date and mid 2030’s for the end date, this is way too vague. Taxpayers deserve to know when their transit system will be up and running.

Billions have been discussed, consultants have been paid handsomely (hundreds of millions of euros already), and yet the project exists only on paper. At this rate, MetroLink is unlikely to be running before the late 2030s, nearly 40 years after the idea was first floated.

It doesn’t matter how confident Politicians, the NTA or Project Director Sean Sweeney are in the project’s timeline and delivery and how much we talk about bidding if no actual delivery date is decided or confirmed. While these are essential steps, it’s still just a matter of talking and talking without doing. If we want Dublin to have a metro, we have to actually start building it, full stop.

Inflating and Unknown Cost

Ask the NTA or Transport Infrastructure Ireland what MetroLink will cost, and you won’t get a straight answer. Some estimates say €9.5 billion; Others warn of €23 billion or more. That’s a difference of nearly €14 billion. That could fund housing, healthcare, or multiple transit projects.

After decades of studies, revisions, and rebranding (Metro North, MetroLink, etc.), we still don’t even have a final price tag. Meanwhile, consultants and contractors continue to collect fees while the public foots the bill.

The fact is that given how much has been spent on plans and consultants, the final cost of MetroLink should be known, and the fact it isn’t known is unacceptable as taxpayers deserve to know how much of their money is being spent on this one line.

Europe’s Standard vs. Ireland’s Single Line

When viewed against Europe’s transport landscape, MetroLink can hardly be considered a “megaproject.” Cities like Madrid, Paris, and Copenhagen have spent the past two decades rolling out vast metro expansions: Madrid alone built 120 km of new metro lines between the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, while Paris’s Grand Paris Express will add 200 km of new track and 68 stations by the mid-2030s. Even smaller capitals like Lisbon, Warsaw, and Athens have developed or extended multiple lines in far less time than Dublin has spent debating one. Against this backdrop, MetroLink’s single 18 km line is modest at best, which is an overdue minimum investment rather than a transformative leap. The contrast highlights just how far behind Ireland has fallen, and how much more ambitious projects like Metro Dublin are needed to catch up.

The Metro Dublin Alternative

While MetroLink limps along, the Metro Dublin proposal demonstrates what’s truly possible for the city:

95 km of track (vs MetroLink’s 18.8 km).

6 lines and 61 stations spanning the capital and suburbs.

Seamless integration with Luas, DART, and Busconnects.

Completion by 2032, years ahead of MetroLink’s likely schedule.

A cost of €21.5 billion, less than MetroLink’s potential upper figure, despite delivering five times the coverage.

It’s also important to note that while Metrolink will just connect Dublin Airport to Dublin city centre, Metro Dublin will connect 40% of the country to Dublin Airport due to the integration with Irish Rail services. This means people will be able to take a train from any Irish Rail station to Dublin Airport with a maximum of one transfer. While connecting Dublin Airport to the city centre is essential, it falls short due to the fact that Dublin Airport is the main gateway between Ireland and the rest of the world. This means that national connectivity is far more valuable than just local city connectivity.

Additionally, Metro Dublin isn’t pitched as a replacement to MetroLink, it complements it. Together, they could form the backbone of a truly European-grade transport system, finally putting Dublin in the same league as Paris, Madrid, or Copenhagen. It’s clear that the NTA is too hyper-focused on Metrolink and isn’t open to alternatives.

 Metro Dublin Isolated Map

Metro Dublin Integrated Map

What Ireland Is Missing

Right now, Dubliners are being asked to settle for the absolute bare minimum: one overpriced line that won’t even be running for another decade or more. This is not transformation, it’s tinkering. Other European capitals have spent the last 20 years building interconnected metro systems while Dublin debates one corridor to the airport.

MetroLink may eventually get built, but on its own, it won’t solve congestion, won’t provide real connectivity, and won’t deliver the kind of housing and urban renewal Dublin so badly needs.

Metro Dublin shows what’s possible: a real metro system, costed more efficiently, delivered more quickly, and designed to serve the whole city.

Ireland doesn’t have to settle for “just enough.” Dublin deserves more. And with Metro Dublin, it can and will have more.