An extension of the planed MetroLink system to connect with the Dublin-Belfast rail line at Donabate could be examined in the future, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has signalled.
In a written reply to a parliamentary question the NTA said that when it was determined that metro was the preferred solution for the corridor from the city centre to Swords, an extension to Donabate was considered.
“The analysis at that time showed that the demand for travel onwards to and from Donabate was not sufficient to justify the extension of metro northwards. The current MetroLink scheme, however, does not preclude the extension of [the] metro in the future to serve Donabate.”
The current MetroLink project is scheduled to run between Swords in north county Dublin and Charlemont on the southside.
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Significant numbers of new houses are being built and more are in the planning stage for areas surrounding Donabate and Portrane in north Dublin where, by some estimates, the population could increase to about 20,000 in the coming years.
[ Public consultation on Dublin’s long-awaited MetroLink reopensOpens in new window ]
The NTA said the MetroLink project, currently before An Bord Pleanála, represented the optimal solution for serving current forecast demand for travel in north Dublin as part of an integrated transport network including Dart+ Coastal North and BusConnects.
“In accordance with the Dublin Transport Authority Act, the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy is reviewed every six years and each review takes into account changes in population and employment distribution and emerging policies, objectives and proposals from various stakeholders. In this regard, the growth of Donabate, as well as proposals under the All Island Strategic Rail Review, which may impact on demand for travel from the area, as well as potential long-term solutions, will be examined in full at the next transport strategy review point”, the NTA told Sinn Féin TD Denise Mitchell.
The Irish Times reported this week that public consultation on MetroLink was being reopened, almost five months after a hearing held by An Bord Pleanála on the project ended.
The planning board’s hearing on the €9.5 billion metro line with 16 stops serving areas including Dublin Airport and the city centre opened on February 19th and closed on schedule on March 28th.
However, with just two days to go before the end of the hearing, board inspector Barry O’Donnell said there would be a “requirement to re-advertise” the project due new information which had been submitted by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the State transport agency responsible for developing the 18.8km rail line.
In other replies to parliamentary questions, the NTA said given the uncertainty about the completion of the planning process, it was not possible to provide a definitive date for the commencement of construction on the MetroLink project.
It said it was expected that, allowing for the scale of the procurement process, the main construction work on MetroLink would commence about two years after an enforceable railway order – essentially planning permission – was secured and subject to final Government approval.
Separately the NTA also said in another reply that it was currently anticipated that public consultation on route options for a rail line to Navan would take place in the latter part of 2025 or early 2026.
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