A contract worth up to €550m to oversee the construction of Dublin’s MetroLink has been awarded to two American companies, Jacobs and AECOM.
The consortium said it had “experience from some of the world’s most significant metro and rail programmes," including London’s Elizabeth line, Toronto’s Metrolinx and California’s high-speed rail network.
Jacobs also worked on BusConnects in Dublin and Cork, as well as the proposed Luas Cork light rail scheme.
The 12-year contract is the largest yet awarded in the development of the long-awaited 19km rail line, which will carry up to 53 million passengers a year from Swords in north Co. Dublin to Charlemont on the south side, serving Dublin Airport and the city centre.
There will be 16 new stations, providing a 25-minute journey time from North Dublin to the city centre.
Next week the Government will decide whether to allow Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to seek bids to build the line, based on new cost estimates.
The estimates have not yet been published but are expected to range from €14bn to €17.5bn.
TII said on Thursday it had taken “another major step toward the physical delivery of MetroLink” with the formal award of the Programme Delivery Partner contract to Jacobs AECOM.
It said it will manage and oversee construction, integration, and commissioning phases of our first metro – “crucial in ensuring all aspects of the MetroLink project are delivered within a defined budget, required timeframe, and to the highest standards of safety and quality."
*This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.
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