IRELAND: A consortium to bid for the contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the proposed MetroLink automated metro line in Dublin has been formed by FCC, Meridiam, John Laing, RATP Dev and Alstom.
The 18·8 km mostly underground driverless metro line is intended to run from Swords in the north to Charlemont in the south via the airport and the city centre, serving 16 stations.
Construction is to be undertaken through two civil works contracts covering the northern and southern sections, along with a DBFOM contract covering the rolling stock, stations, railway systems, operations and maintenance.
Consortium members
Alstom explained that the consortium announced on September 2 brought together partners offering in-depth knowledge of infrastructure development, automated metro operation and maintenance, financing and engineering, as well as Dublin and its existing transport systems.
Alstom will contribute its experience in railways and metros, FCC will lead on the civil engineering aspects and RATP Dev will provide operational and maintenance expertise. Meridiam invests in and manages urban rail projects around the world, while John Laing brings financial expertise and long-term investment capabilities.
Ramón Gómez, Managing Director at FCC Concesiones, said the group had extensive international experience from the design, construction and financing of rail infrastructure in Doha, Riyadh, Madrid, Barcelona, Panama, Lisboa, Lima, Málaga and Toronto, as well as motorway, university, hospital and airports projects in Ireland.
Kristin Thorslund, Senior Vice-President for Nordics & Ireland at RATP Dev, said the inernational operator was ‘currently engaged in five major greenfield automated metro projects in Paris, Sydney, Singapore, Riyadh and Doha. Our teams are recognised for successfully delivering complex metro projects such as the seamless launch of Riyadh’s first-ever metro lines and public transport network.’
Romain Limouzin, Deputy COO Europe at Meridiam, said the company was ‘looking forward to sharing our global and local expertise in delivering successful urban mobility projects alongside our long-term partnership approach to help bring this project to fruition, as we have done through the major LRT systems we currently manage in Italy, the UK, Canada and soon in the USA.’
John Laing CEO Andrew Truscott said ‘ensuring this vital project is delivered with long-term value for the public, by partners with proven expertise, is key to our consortium’, which would combine ‘financial strength with deep experience in delivering landmark metro and rail infrastructure around the globe’.
