Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) has selected Canadian consultancy SNC-Lavalin as operations advisor for the Metrolink project, an automated metro line connecting north and south Dublin with an estimated project cost of EUR 1 billion (USD 1.08 billion).

The MetroLink Project involves the development of an urban railway service that will run between Swords and Charlemont, linking Dublin Airport, Irish Rail, DART, Dublin Bus and Luas Services, creating fully integrated public transport along the 19 km route. There will be a total of 25 stations, 15 of them will be newly built, 3 000 additional parks, and ride spaces and a journey time of approximately 25 minutes from Swords to the city center.

The Operations Advisor will report to the MetroLink Project Director and will work closely with the current TII project team, operations department and engineering designer and provide the necessary strategic, operational and planning advice and inputs for the MetroLink scheme as it progresses through planning and construction, testing, mobilization and into the initial phases of operations.

SNC-Lavalin will develop an operational strategy and advice on Grade of Automation Level 4 unattended operation. It will help to create business case justification for GoA4 Metro over other automated options or traditional manually operated rail systems.

It is intended that the MetroLink project will commence construction in 2021 and be open to passenger services in 2027.