Higher rush-hour tolls recommended for Dublin's Port Tunnel

Ken Foxe

The number of cars using Dublin’s Port Tunnel was rising so quickly that transport chiefs recommended higher rush-hour tolls to discourage private motorists from using it.

In internal discussions, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) said the volume of tollable traffic using the tunnel to dodge heavy morning traffic was rising by more than eight per cent a year.

A board paper said the growth in traffic was “unsustainable” and could undermine the purpose of the road to give HGVs easier access to Dublin Port.

It said an “overarching safety requirement” of the road was that standing traffic was not permitted, meaning congestion could lead to tunnel closures.

The paper said capacity was limited by the ability of roads in the East Wall area of Dublin’s north city to absorb traffic.

It explained: “In the AM peak, traffic congestion in the East Wall area is a routine occurrence, which frequently impacts on the tunnel.”

Sometimes, “metering” was used, which meant the barriers would be opened and closed periodically “to allow pulses of traffic through the tunnel.”

However, it warned that the level of traffic in the Dublin Port Tunnel rose by 4.6 per cent in the first eight months of 2025 when compared to the same period in 2024.

That was most apparent in the morning peak when toll-paying traffic climbed by 8.4 per cent.

The briefing paper said: “Were this trend to continue, it would inevitably increase the occurrence of congestion southbound through the tunnel in the morning peak, adversely impacting on heavy vehicle movements into Dublin Port.

“As such, from a tunnel operations perspective, it is important that TII continues to discourage the greater use of the tunnel by tollable traffic in the AM peak.”

TII recommended that the morning toll for citybound traffic increase from €13 to €14, describing the rise as “modest.”

It added that it would allow TII “to incrementally discourage” over-use of the tunnel by non-commercial vehicles.

The paper also recommended increases in tolls on the M50 saying it had been standard policy to set them at the maximum level.

“The revenues collected are a vital funding source to the operation and maintenance of the national road network,” it explained.

It said that without a commitment to make up any shortfall, M50 toll income not collected from drivers would mean an equivalent reduction in funds available for road protection and renewal.

The TII board was also told that the public body’s role in setting tolls on eight other major roads around Ireland was “more limited.”

It said public private partnership contracts set out the rules for confirming the level of toll that could be charged.

The briefing document said: “The Bye-Laws do not contemplate the State intervening to defer toll increases as and when they are due and TII cannot unilaterally amend the terms of the contracts without significant repercussions, namely the triggering of a Tolling Variation.

“Therefore, any initiative to charge a toll rate below the Maximum Toll would need to be with the agreement of the PPP Company and their funders.”

Asked about the records, a spokesman for TII said: “The primary function of the Dublin Port Tunnel is to cater for HGVs.

“HGVs travel free through the tunnel because the majority of goods into and out of the island of Ireland need the Dublin Port Tunnel to provide safe and efficient access to the national motorway network.

“Trying to reduce general car traffic by charging a higher toll during peak travel times reduces the potential of incidents and delays to those HGVs.”