MetroLink boss resigns from long-delayed flagship Dublin project

MetroLink boss Sean Sweeney has announced his resignation from the long-delayed flagship infrastructure project.

The New Zealander had been appointed as programme director of the MetroLink in June 2024 on a salary of 550,000 euros.

His departure, which he said was because of family reasons, comes after a residents’ legal challenge to the project was resolved and ahead of construction due to begin next year.

Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien said he was “sorry to see him go”, while the head of Ireland’s transport state agency said the project had secured its “most significant milestone” under Mr Sweeney’s stewardship.

A metro line for Dublin has been proposed over recent decades, but none have yet proceeded to build stage – despite millions of euros being spent on different planned routes.

The current plan is for an 18.8km route with 16 stations that will link Dublin Airport to the city centre at an estimated cost of 11 billion euros.

Mr Sweeney had estimated that major construction would start at the end of 2027 and that it could be the mid-2030s before people would be able to take the metro to the airport.

He said a judicial review taken by residents in Ranelagh, and later withdrawn, could have delayed the project by up to two years and cost a billion euros a year.

In an interview with the Business Post, Mr Sweeney commented on how things in Ireland “take longer” and that the planning system allowing for many objections was “not good for Ireland”.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr Sweeney said the role had been “one of the greatest professional privileges of my career”.

“However, after several years away from home, the sacrifice of being separated from my partner, children, and grandchildren, who are over 10,000 miles away, has become unsustainable,” he added.

“It is with deep regret that I leave MetroLink, however, I know it is the right thing to do for everyone.

“A programme like MetroLink will have many parents and I always believed my role was to get the programme up and running.

“I am proud to leave the programme with a highly committed and experienced executive team, full government support as well as an operational Railway Order and MetroLink fully funded into construction.

“MetroLink is no longer a ‘proposed’ plan; it is a live delivery project.

“The market appetite is huge, the political support is firm, and the team I leave behind is the best I have ever worked with.

“I want to thank Minister O’Brien, the TII Board, and the people of Dublin for their trust.

“I look forward to seeing the first tunnel boring machines start their work, knowing the foundation is rock solid.”

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) chief executive Lorcan O’Connor said: “It is with a mix of gratitude and regret that I confirm the departure this summer of Sean Sweeney as programme director of MetroLink.

“Sean joined us at a critical juncture when MetroLink was in need of a steady hand to build a strong team, generate market interest, secure planning and steer the programme into the procurement phase.

“During his time, the project has secured its most significant milestone to date: securing the Operational Railway Order in January 2026.

“Sean has assembled an executive team with over 250 years of collective experience in delivering global mega-projects.

“Under his watch MetroLink now has a completed reference design, a live procurement process, comprehensive political support and a level of international market confidence Ireland has never seen before.”

Mr O’Brien said: “Sean Sweeney informed me of his resignation and I am sorry to see him go.

“He has made a great contribution to the progress of MetroLink and I wish him the very best for the future.

“One of Sean’s key achievements was to establish a highly experienced, highly skilled and high-performing senior leadership team.

“It is this team who will continue to keep MetroLink on course for its scheduled milestones.

“Securing planning approval in January this year means we are now firmly in the procurement phase, and MetroLink is rapidly taking shape with work already under way to allow for construction.

“With an initial two billion euros in Government-backed funding, MetroLink will be a truly transformative project – benefiting everyone who travels in Dublin and significantly improving connectivity across the wider region for years to come.

“It will deliver substantial economic benefits, open up land for much-needed housing, and provide greater access to jobs and education.

“The project will also bring important environmental gains by reducing the number of cars on our roads.

“The MetroLink project team have my full support, that of my department, and of the Government.”

Councillor Janet Horner, the Green Party’s leader on Dublin City Council, said the Government needed to “move quickly” to replace Mr Sweeney.

“MetroLink is a critical transport project to keep Dublin moving,” she said.

“The Government must move quickly to fill the director position without delay to ensure the project does not get sidetracked at this critical juncture with construction due to begin next year.”