The underground system has faced significant delays over the past 20 years.
More than €150m has been spent on Dublin's Metro up to the end of last year - despite no "significant" physical work.
An estimate of the project - which would run from Swords, through the airport and into the city centre - puts the cost at around €9.5b .
The underground rail system has faced significant delays over the past two decades.
Speaking at the Public Accounts Committee, its chair, Laois Offaly Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley, says the cost of preparatory works are "astronomical":
Midlands Gardaí Appeal For Witnesses To Fatal Crash
Midlands Security & Defence Analyst Says Hoax Bomb Threats Aimed To Intimidate
Almost €446,000 Allocated To Midlands Community Centres And Clubhouses
Midlands Family Takes On Ireland’s Fittest Family Challenge
5K Fundraiser To Support Motor Neurone Disease Association Takes Place In Westmeath
No Slowing Down With Age As Westmeath Bowlers Shine At 14th Annual National Bowls Competition
Woman Appears In Court Over €280k Cannabis Seizure In Midlands