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THE PROGRAMME DIRECTOR of Dublin’s Metrolink has said he received death threats while working on a similar project in Auckland, New Zealand, but he also stressed that the benefits to come from the underground railway are “off the scale”.
Sean Sweeney told Newstalk that large infrastructure projects always attract some level of pushback from the public, citing examples of work he’s done in other countries, but that once they are up and running, those objections are soon forgotten.
He said that in the age of social media, “two people can run a campaign” against something. He also noted that there were riots in the streets of Amsterdam before the metro was opened there, only for it to be broadly welcomed within days of coming online.
In the city of Auckland in his native New Zealand, Sweeney said: “I had death threats against me.”
Sweeney answered some questions sent in by Newstalk listeners, a number of which were about the proposed route of the railway.
But Sweeney said he has no control over the route, while acknowledging there has been some criticism of it so far.
Overall though, Sweeney said he has never worked on a project with such potential benefit to the public.
“The benefits are off the scale in my view,” he said.
As for the cost of the massive infrastructure project, Sweeney said it is being “recalibrated” following delays in the planning process.
In 2021, the Metrolink was estimated to cost between €7 billion and €12 billion.
“The number is going to change,” said Sweeney.
“We had to make changes because of the planning process.”
He said that two independent companies would be brought in to assess the project’s estimated cost once it is revised.
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There’ll be day trips to Mars before this Metro Link is built.
@David Field: If the Children’s hospital is completed in 2026, it will have taken as long to build as the Pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the 3 Giza pyramids.
@David Field: 100% right
@David Field: a complete joke of a country we live in so backwards we are living in the passed as usual same with the children hospital out so called government not fit for office
@David Field: we should be finishing a third metro line, at least! Cork and Galway should have their own tram systems and perhaps a light rail overground commuter like a Dart, there should be a motorway to go from Letterkenny to Killarney, passing through Sligo, Galway and Limerick. A motorway from dublin to Killarney. 6 lanes on the M50, a ring road in Galway and Cork and bicycle lanes and footboards in every single road. This may sound outrageous to you, but in any reasonable poorer country has been the norm for decades.
There hasn’t been a public transport infrastructure project in Dublin that hasn’t been a roaring success. All projects beat expectations. Yet the same old tired crowd comes back to whinge, moan and complain from the comfort of their mortgage-free houses with two cars parked in the driveway.
@Name: spot on
@Name: exactly
@Name: Let’s be honest there hasn’t been that many public infrastructure projects in fairness, and nobody is again the Metro. The issue most people have is that it’s been talked about for decades, with nothing still done, this should have been built years ago. Also because of the cost of this and the tendency in this country towards massive cost overruns, people are genuinely concerned over how much this will actually cost.
@The Firestarter: 20 billion is 1 years corporate tax take. We might aswell benefit in some way by the windfalls. It would be a horrid shame not to excel during this period
@The Firestarter: you’re right that there is plenty of blame to go around. However don’t leave out the Berlin Wall saga in Ranelagh. Dealing with this added much time to the project with a worse result
The first time I ever went to Toulouse was 1990 and after 20 years of discussion they were just begining to build their Metro to much disruption and dismay especially from the business community in the town centre.
I went back in 1992 and they were still building it with continuing discontent from many quarters and the first line was finally opened in 1993.
When I was back again in 2004 it was such a sucess they were extending it and now they are extending it again with a new line due to open in 2028.
My wife’s family are from Toulouse and it’s fair to say that at this stage no one could envisage being able to cope without it and all disruption and cost are a distant memory.
Stop talking and just get on and build the damn thing.
@Stanley Marsh: but some GAA club will lose part of their pitch. Another resident who never goes anywhere ‘just doesn’t want it’. For those reasons, we shouldn’t do it.
@Stanley Marsh: The French are enlightened, the believe in solving problems, we believe we need problems them to be alive, it’s why they persist!… ‘I had nothing when I was coming up, so you must have the same’ is this not the Irish way?
Don’t just build it, build it on budget and in the time scale set out. So hence don’t involve BAM
@Vinny Hughes: you should be on stage
Any jobs going at the Ipas centres? Two directors made 4 million euros last year! Seems like a great gig to be in!!
Children born today in May 2025 will be getting their old age free bus pass before this metro is built.
@Ailbhe MacThomais: Still think you might be a tad optimistic!
Probably end up costing over 20 Billion.
” the number is going to change” said Sweeney………… wow, that’s a curveball
The Amsterdam Metro started operating in 1977. Amsterdam is a similar sized city to Dublin. I hope nobody actually believes there will be a functioning metro in Dublin before 2040 !!
“We had to make changes because of the planning process”.. The Irish must always be in the way of each other. We love it
@Thesaltyurchin: we’re a great bunch altogether cos we aren’t happy until we are miserable lol.
It’s bad enough up on the streets of Dublin with all sorts of yokes walking around like zombies what’s that going to be like ?
However many billions and zillions they pour into this, it’ll still only be one line.
The only “once and for all” solution to the congestion in Dublin is to rebuild the tram system they ripped up in the 1950s.
It’s been 20 years since they opened the Luas. They could have built another 6 lines since then. What have they been doing? They’re not serious.
We need infrastructure but far more cost effective and sustainable to get people outta Dublin and repopulate areas of the west. Not one off rural housing but revitaliseling towns that are struggling. Public transport in and around the country, many unused rail lines still exist for example
Death threats?
That’s terrible.
Did the interviewer ask him what stage the police investigation has reached.
Hopefully the design will not just be glass and concrete cubes. These stations will be there for 100 plus years. It would be nice if they were features as well as being functional….and I dont mean some of the modern rubbish that passes for architecture in Dublin.
Metro is old technology. Too expensive, takes too long to build, and is inflexible when completed.
@Michael Power: “More Tar!”
@Michael Power: What’s your alternative so?
@Michael Power: Are you advocating a Mono rail. The entire world uses metros for ages, and it works.
Owe also should consider building above ground
The reason we are in this mess with metro and it is one of the longest running sagas in transport history is because we had planning permission for it approved and ready to go in 2011 but it was cancelled. That has effectively resulted in a probable trebling of the cost and a 20 year delay. It was a scandalous decision really.
Leo Varadkar has to take the blame. FG were desperate to get into government and were promising everything but this was one promise they actually could have kept. He said they would build the metro if elected. A few months later he became the actual transport minister and cancelled it! Yes there was a financial crisis but that was exactly the time to build it. It would have never been cheaper at €3.5bn with €500m committed but the EU and would have created lots of economic activity and employment. It was due to open in 2018. Where are we now? Still awaiting planning approval nearly 15 years after the first approval. It’s a joke and nobody is held accountable.
Teleportation will have been invented by the time this project is finished.
have your say