Major Milestone For Metro As Railway Order Granted

An Coimisiún Pleanála has published its decision to permit the long-awaited construction of the MetroLink project running from Swords in north Dublin to Charlemont in the city centre.

A metro for Dublin was first proposed over 25 years ago when it was included in the then government's 2000 transportation strategy. Permission for what was then called 'Metro North' was sought in 2008 and subsequently granted by An Bord Pleanála in 2010, by which time the economic crisis forced the State to shelve the project the following year in 2011. Subsequent efforts to revive the project in 2018 were thwarted by public opposition to the potential disruption of the planned route along the existing Green Luas line, leading to the resubmission of a revised route in November 2022. The Railway Order decision published on 2 October 2025 authorises construction, subject to conditions, three years after Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) submitted this revised application.