Toll roads record massive rise in revenues over past 10 years

For the two tolls on the road from Cork to Dublin, the M8 Fermoy bypass brought in €11.9m in 2015 compared to €18.9m in 2024, while the Portlaoise toll jumped from €15.6m to €23m over the same time period.  File picture: Dan Linehan

Revenue from the country's toll roads has risen across the board in the last 10 years, with the M50 toll nearly doubling.

Figures sent to the Dáil's Public Accounts Committee, following an appearance by the Department of Transport, shows income increases across all of the country's toll roads. Most routes increased year on year, with the exception of the covid period.

There are 10 toll roads on the national network, eight of which are operated under a public private partnership model. Two are public tolls — the M50 eFlow and Dublin Tunnel revenues are collected directly by operating companies under contract to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

On the M50, revenues in 2015 were €112m. By 2019, that figure was €160.8m and by the end of 2024 had hit €212m. In Dublin's Port Tunnel, revenues rose from €13m in 2015 to €32m in 2024.

For the two tolls on the road from Cork to Dublin, the M8 Fermoy bypass brought in €11.9m in 2015 compared to €18.9m in 2024, while the Portlaoise toll revenue jumped from €15.6m to €23m over the same time period. 

Revenues from the M1 Dundalk bypass rose from €23.5m to €40.7m; the M3 Clonee Kells increased from €12.9m to €22.6m; Limerick Tunnel increased from €12.5m in 2015 to €23.9m in 2025; while the Waterford bypass went from €5.4m to €11.4m.

TII announced in October that tolls on several motorways would increase from January 1.

For heavy goods vehicles on the M50, trucks with video tags have seen their journeys increase from €7 to €7.20, while tolls for unregistered vehicles have risen from €7.70 to €7.80.

In a recent parliamentary response to Sinn Féin's Darren O'Rourke, transport minister Darragh O'Brien said the increased tolls were a matter for TII.

"I have responsibility for overall policy and funding in relation to the national roads programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015, the operation and management of individual national roads is a matter for TII, in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.

"Therefore, matters relating to the day-to-day operations regarding national roads, including toll roads, are within the remit of TII. 

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"More specifically, the statutory power to levy tolls, to make toll bylaws and to enter into agreements with private investors are vested in TII under Part V of the Roads Act 1993 (as amended). 

"Moreover, the contracts for the privately operated toll schemes are commercial agreements between TII and the public private partnership concessionaires concerned."

In the letter to the Public Accounts Committee, the department noted that TII has no remit over the East-Link Toll Bridge (Tom Clarke Bridge), which is located on a section of non-national road and was in the remit of Dublin City Council.