A planning application for Dublin's MetroLink was officially submitted to An Bord Pleanala today.
The planning application sets out the layout of the railway order, which will begin at Swords and conclude at Charlemont in south Dublin City Centre. The route will serve multiple residential communities such as Swords, Ballymun and Glasnevin, as well as Dublin Airport and the City Centre.
Construction of MetroLink is planned to begin in late 2025 if the planning process goes smoothly, with a view to operation in the early 2030s. The majority of the segregated railway will be underground and it is designed to interchange with heavy rail, DART, Luas and bus services.
Read more: Dublin MetroLink: Rail line to cost €9.5 billion with first trains running by 2034
When opened, MetroLink will be 18.8 km in length, serve 15 stations and have an end to end journey time will take 25 minutes. The project has a central capital cost estimate of €9.5 billion.
In the initial years of opening, MetroLink plans to run trains every three minutes at peak times, with the system being capable of carrying up to 20,000 passengers in each direction every hour.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said he is "keen" for construction of the project to start as soon as possible. "In July I secured Cabinet agreement to progress the major MetroLink project," he said.
"I am delighted that today we have met our commitment with the submission of a planning application for the route. Securing planning approval is vital for MetroLink and I am keen to see construction on the project start as soon as possible.
"MetroLink is a flagship project, but it is also one of a suite of major public transport investments that we have secured ongoing funding for within Budget 2023, underlining the commitment in the Programme for Government and in the Climate Action Plan to transform the way people can move around both our cities and rural Ireland.”
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