DUBLIN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Ireland will build a multi-billion-euro metro project in its capital Dublin, the first of its kind ever to be constructed in the country, revealed an official announcement published here on Thursday.

National Transport Authority (NTA), an Irish state agency mainly responsible for the public transport services in the Greater Dublin Area, said on its website that public consultation for the proposed route of the metrolink will commence next week.

According to the NTA announcement, bidding for the project will start in 2019 and the project contract will be awarded in 2020.

Details regarding the qualifications of bidders are not mentioned in the announcement.

The NTA said that construction of the metrolink will start in 2021 and the project is expected to be operational by 2027.

According to the NTA and local media reports, the planned metrolink measures 26 km in total length, running from Sandyford in south Dublin to beyond Swords in north Dublin.

Upon completion of the project with an estimated cost of 3 billion euros (about 3.7 billion U.S. dollars), the travel time from the Dublin city center to the Dublin airport is expected to be shortened to 20 minutes, said the NTA, adding that the metrolink is capable of handling 15,000 passengers per direction per hour at peak time.

Part of the metrolink will be built underground while part of it will be constructed above the ground, said the NTA, adding that a number of homes and commercial businesses on the ground will have to be acquired to make way for the link.

There will be a total of 25 stations along the route, 15 of which are brand new ones while the remaining ten will be upgraded from existing ones on the ground, it said, adding that a facility capable of parking 3,000 cars will be built at the north terminal of the route.