A significant legal obstacle to Ireland’s largest infrastructure project, MetroLink, has been overcome after the government agreed to purchase 10 luxury homes in Dartmouth Square, Ranelagh, south Dublin.
Local residents had filed a petition objecting to the project’s terminus being located near their properties. Following negotiations, the petition was withdrawn in a settlement Transport Minister Dara O’Brien described as an “early Christmas present.”
The government is expected to spend between €25 million and €30 million (approximately Rs 270 crore) to acquire the 10 homes, with the average market price in the area standing at €2.7 million per property.
With this legal hurdle cleared, the government has indicated that the tendering process could begin in 2026, with construction potentially starting by 2027.
The MetroLink will be an 18.8-kilometer rail line connecting Swords to Charlemont via Dublin Airport, representing a transformative addition to Dublin’s public transport infrastructure.
The resolution of this dispute removes a major barrier that had threatened to delay one of Ireland’s most ambitious transport projects in decades.