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19th November 2025
05:42pm GMT
The MetroLink project in Dublin is expected to need around 8,000 staff, a committee has been told.
Director of the MetroLink programme, Sean Sweeney, said the biggest contracts for the 19km Dublin-to-Swords rail line are expected to go to international firms, some of which will bring staff from abroad.
The 16-stop rail link will run mostly underground, serving Dublin Airport and the city’s northside.
Speaking to the Oireachtas committee on Transport today, he stated: “There are no firms of the scale or expertise in Ireland to run those major contracts.
“They [the international companies] will bring a proportion of workers in and will be looking to supplement with local labour. We have done extensive Irish workforce analysis.
“The top line is that the Irish construction industry cannot support the construction of this project and even that is without factoring in the other major infrastructure projects that are in play at the moment as well.”
He added: “We think it is going to be a challenge. The constructors that I have spoken to know it is going to be a challenge. We are looking to engage with the local market but I think we are going to exhaust the local workforce before we run out of work for them."
Mr Sweeney added that extensive planning had gone into housing the MetroLink workforce.
“We are working with the Land Development Agency to see what options there are,” he said.
Fine Gael TD, Grace Boland, called for a framework to be put in place to house the workers and urged Fingal council’s immediate involvement.
Mr Sweeney said that the MetroLink would not use existing housing plans for its workers but would add to current developments under consideration.
“In simple terms, we have a large need. We can make a commitment to taking an amount of stock and enable developments that we are unable to get off the ground now and make them viable.”
Lorcan O’Connor, CEO of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, added that even Dublin faces challenges in developing apartments.
Furthermore, Mr Sweeney added that current MetroLink cost estimates, based on 2014–2019 figures, contain many approximations.
A full re-costing is underway alongside the construction design, with updated estimates expected early next year, while tender designs will be finalised next month.
O’Connor revealed that MetroLink’s latest cost estimate is €9.5 billion, excluding VAT.
“It is important to note that this figure is three years old and does not reflect significant construction industry inflation in recent years, as well as a number of new requirements and commitments that have been incorporated through the Railway Order process – all of which will influence the updated cost profile,” he explained.
