Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), on behalf of MetroLink, has today commenced the process of inviting prospective bidders to participate in the first stage of the tendering process for the Public Private Partnership (PPP) contract forming part of the wider MetroLink programme.
The contract is an availability-based Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain (DBFOM) contract. It will be awarded to a single consortium responsible for delivering specified railway works, together with the integrated operation and maintenance of the public passenger metro service (M500 Services) for a period of 25 years.
The PPP contract does not include major civil engineering and infrastructure works, including tunnelling, nor enabling works. These elements form part of the wider MetroLink programme and are being procured separately through non-PPP mechanisms. As part of this process, TII is today issuing the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) to the market) for the PPP contract.
This represents a significant milestone for MetroLink, marking the progression from project planning into procurement and delivery, and underlining the continued momentum behind Ireland’s largest public transport infrastructure project.
It follows a dedicated sequence of market engagements, beginning with the tendering of the Programme Delivery Partner (PDP) contract to provide essential professional services, including safety management, project management and site supervision. This was followed by the commencement of the M100 contract to provide enabling works, and M400 contracts, to provide heavy civil engineering works, earlier this year.
It is anticipated that the three highest ranked eligible applicants for the contract will be shortlisted and selected to proceed to the next stage of the competition.
Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien welcomed this development, saying it marked an exciting step forward for public transport in Ireland.
“The launch of this procurement process for this contract represents a clear signal of our ambition to deliver world-class, sustainable transport infrastructure,” he said, adding: “This Government is committed to delivering MetroLink with quality, value for money and long-term public benefit at its core.”
Speaking on the importance of this step in the delivery of MetroLink, Anne Shaw, CEO of the National Transport Authority, said:
“I am very pleased to see this important project progressing, reflecting the strong and growing desire to progress this transformative project. MetroLink is a cornerstone of the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy (2022-2024) and a key component of the National Development Plan, strengthening connections across the wider Transport for Ireland network and enabling more sustainable travel for commuters, visitors and passengers. The project has the potential to support housing delivery, economic growth and reduced emissions, while addressing long‑standing congestion challenges. Through this procurement, we welcome ambitious and experienced partners to be part of a once‑in‑a‑generation transport project and to play a vital, long‑term role in designing, building, operating and maintaining a system that will reshape mobility across Dublin and beyond.”
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is focused on running a “robust, competitive procurement process that will attract experienced international partners with the capability to deliver a project of this scale,” said CEO of TII, Lorcan O’Connor.
“The contract has been carefully structured to allocate risk appropriately, encourage innovation, and ensure long-term operational excellence. We look forward to working closely with the market to bring this vital piece of national infrastructure to fruition,” he added.
The design, supply, construction, operation, maintenance and financing of the metro rolling stock, signalling system at Grade of Operation 4, an automated railway (‘GoA4’)
A railway depot and maintenance facility, park and ride facility, metro control centre building(s)
All line-wide trackwork, overhead contact system, power and communication systems
Mechanical and electrical systems including tunnel and station ventilation, people movement systems
Construction of internal walls and secondary civil and building works within the shell and core structures of the underground stations
The fit out and finishes in 16 stations (above and below ground) and design and construction of urban realm enhancements
Operation and maintenance of all assets comprising MetroLink
TII also proposes to award an Early Services Agreement to the Preferred Tenderer for the performance the Early Services during the Preferred Tenderer Stage
A more detailed description of the scope of the contract is given in part three of the pre-qualification questionnaire pack (PQP).
Procurement Approach
The procurement process will commence with a pre-qualification stage (PQQ), which represents the initial screening phase of the competition. This stage is designed to assess a bidder’s capability, experience and capacity to deliver the contract before being invited to submit a full tender.
Upon completion of the PQQ process, a shortlist of pre-qualified applicants will be invited to submit detailed tenders.
EU procurement rules require the relevant contracting authority to indicate an estimated contract value in the contract notice. This estimate is based on the information available at the time of publication and is intended to guide potential tenderers as to the expected scale of the project, enabling them to assess whether it falls within their parameters. The estimated value is not contractually binding. Actual tender prices may be higher or lower than this estimate and will reflect a range of factors including prevailing market conditions and competitive pressures.
The estimated contract value stated in this contract notice is €7.3bn (ex. VAT) in Net Present Value (NPV) terms. This NPV estimate reflects a point in time assessment (February 2026) based on the contracting authority’s preliminary estimates of construction, operating and lifecycle costs, together with assumptions relating to the proposed construction programme, risk allocation, financing costs, prevailing interest rates, and other factors. These assumptions are subject to change.
The contract notice has been published on the eTenders website and will be available via the OJEU website.
The contract will be awarded in accordance with the applicable regulatory and procedural requirements governing the competitive tendering of public services contracts.
The contract duration is expected to be circa 32 years, comprising:
a works period of circa seven years for completion of the works; and
a services period of 25 years for the operation and maintenance of the MetroLink assets.
The PPP contract will be structured as an availability-based contract, with a payment mechanism designed to support the delivery of a safe, reliable and high-quality metro system.
For further information regarding this press release please contact Niall McHugh, Strategic Communications Lead at 086 8322413.
ENDS
Notes to the Editor:
An availability-based contract will see the contractor being paid for making MetroLink available, functioning properly to a high standard for the agreed time period. This spreads the cost over many years, transfers construction and maintenance risk to the contractor and encourages long-term service quality.
MetroLink is part of an integrated transport solution for Dublin that involves the development of an automated, Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) urban railway service running north-south between Estuary and Charlemont and linking Dublin Airport, Irish Rail, DART, Dublin Bus and Luas services. It will provide a high speed, high capacity, high frequency, modern and efficient metro rail service, with a peak capacity for 20,000 passengers per direction per hour and the ability to carry up to 50 million passengers per annum. MetroLink’s overall strategic objective is to deliver significant environmental, community and socio-economic benefits to Ireland.
The contract packages for MetroLink are:
The procurement of each of the M400 series contracts and the M500 Contract will individually take between 18 and 24 months, over a period of up to 30 months in total.
MetroLink will deliver:
ENDS
Published on 1st May 2026