Michael O’Leary criticised for ‘drive-by commentary’ on Dublin metro

By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary has been criticised for his “insulting” comments on a metro for Dublin, which he called a “waste” of taxpayer money.

The 18.8km rail line, most of which will be underground, is to run from north of Swords to Charlemont in the south of Dublin city centre.

Various metro projects for the capital have been proposed in recent decades, but none have proceeded to the building stage.

On Tuesday, the Government announced that the MetroLink project would get a €2 billion boost in funding as part of the national development plan, in what Taoiseach Micheál Martin said was “a very definitive commitment to the metro”.

While Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe indicated the latest estimated cost for the MetroLink was €11 billion, Mr O’Leary claimed it would cost €20 billion, “so about a billion a kilometre”.

“Dublin Airport doesn’t need it, Dublin Airport passengers won’t use it – they’re already well-served by buses,” he told RTÉ Radio on Wednesday, while claiming that less than a third of the airport’s passengers use buses.

He said that while the tube in London runs from Heathrow and through “all of London”, the Metro will only serve a section of Dublin city’s residents – around 100,000 people, he claimed.

“Here’s the madness of this. This thing is going to start at Stephen’s Green in the morning. If you want to get to our first wave of departures, which leave at about 6.30 in the morning, you need to be at the airport at 5.30am.

“Are you seriously going to drive into the centre of Stephen’s Green, where there’s no car parking, to get this metro to get to Dublin Airport for 5.30 in the morning? No, you’re not.

“Let me give you the alternative scenario: for €100 million, this year we could buy 400 buses, and 400 buses would provide exactly the same capacity as this metro from Dublin Airport, in through Ballymun, in through Drumcondra, on bus lanes that already exist.”

He claimed the plan had not been properly costed and hit out at the Government’s handling of public finances.

“This Government wasted €330,000 on a bike shed, imagine what they do with an 18-kilometre underground train from an airport?”

He also criticised comments by Mr Martin, who said the Irish capital will not be sustainable without a metro.

“Does he not understand that the buses actually will all be electrified by the end of this decade, which will actually be greener than light rail?”

Labour TD Duncan Smith said Mr O’Leary’s criticisms of public infrastructure were as sure “as night follows day”.

“Dubliners are stuck in daily gridlock. MetroLink is their best chance at affordable, reliable transport that serves communities, not corporate profits.

“As a consistent advocate for MetroLink in Swords, I find it insulting to hear this kind of drive-by commentary from someone who clearly doesn’t rely on public transport to get to work.

“Dublin deserves better than a transport plan from a billionaire whose only experience with buses is when he is pretending to be one.”

When asked about his endorsement of Enterprise Minister Peter Burke and junior minister Robert Troy during the general election campaign, Mr O’Leary claimed “they’re not in government” and criticised Mr Martin again.

“I endorsed Peter Burke, who actually topped the poll despite the criticism. I also endorsed Robert Troy – and they’re not the government.”