A group of five global companies—FCC (Spain), Meridiam (France), John Laing (UK), RATP Dev (France), and Alstom (France)—has formed a consortium by signing a memorandum of understanding to bid for the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of Dublin’s MetroLink project.

If approved, construction of the 18.8 km, mostly underground metro system is slated to start between 2028 and 2031, with services connecting Swords, Dublin Airport, Dublin city center, and Charlemont, just south of the center, beginning in early 2035. The fully automated, driverless MetroLink system will link key transport hubs and major destinations across the Greater Dublin Area, providing the first direct rail connection between Dublin city center and its airport. FCC is set to oversee the civil engineering components, while Alstom and RATP Dev will contribute expertise in operations and maintenance. Meridiam and John Laing are involved to supply financial expertise and long-term investment capabilities.

The consortium leverages extensive global experience in metro systems, infrastructure, and financing, with FCC having prior Irish projects like the M50 motorway and Dublin Airport’s North Runway. The consortium partners will collaborate on preparing and submitting a proposal for MetroLink and are now preparing the pre-qualification and bidding phases.