Why Ireland, and Córas Iompair Éireann, Desperately Need Metro Dublin

Because the spine of a country shouldn’t be a traffic jam.

Ireland ranks at the bottom of the European Rail Performance Index. Not because we can’t build. Not because we lack engineers, talent, or ambition. But because we’ve convinced ourselves that moving slowly is somehow safer than moving boldly.

Across Europe, cities are being laced together with modern, electrified rail. Trains move like rivers through urban centres. Airports double as national interchanges — central hubs where mobility flows across borders and regions. Warsaw is building one right now — a new national rail-airport hub to serve the entire country.

And Ireland?

We’ve drafted plans, then postponed them. We’ve promised a metro for Dublin since 2002. We’ve left Dublin Airport — Ireland’s main international gateway — without a single rail platform. The result isn’t just inefficient. It’s absurd.

But what if we stopped waiting?

Metro Dublin isn’t a fantasy. It’s a ready-to-build, privately-advanced metro network designed to bring Dublin in line with other modern capitals. It would reduce road dependency, support housing, integrate regions, and give Ireland something it has never had: a coherent public transport system that serves all aspects of daily life — not just the commute.

Its proposals are so practical, they feel radical:

• A national rail hub directly at Dublin Airport, enabling seamless transfer between intercity rail, metro, buses, and flights.

• A citywide metro network based on proven systems in cities like Madrid and Paris — designed to serve people, not just corridors.

• Immediate upgrades such as bottleneck removals at Connolly and Portarlington to unlock capacity without waiting until 2045.

• Measurable goals like TPHP (Trips Per Head of Population) to move Ireland up from the bottom tier in Europe.

Why bring in Córas Iompair Éireann — and why now?

Because CIÉ once built Ireland’s spine. It moved people, goods, and ideas. It defined the national landscape and helped unify the country through mobility. But now, CIÉ faces a choice: protect the legacy system, or help shape the next one.

Metro Dublin isn’t trying to replace CIÉ. It’s offering to extend it. To fuse metro and mainline. To restore life and function to the network. To make Dublin — and Ireland — a place where public transport doesn’t just exist, but excels.

This isn’t just about building lines. It’s about building the nation.

Dublin Airport could be the heart of a new, connected Ireland — a transport system that links Cork to Belfast, Galway to Paris.

The crazy part? It’s all possible.

The concepts are ready. The engineering is sound. The partnerships are active. Metro Dublin doesn’t need decades. It doesn’t need more plans.

It needs permission.

So let’s stop asking what’s too hard — and start building what’s long overdue.