A new contract has been awarded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) to Egis, a major consultancy, engineering and operations firm in Ireland, to operate and maintain the Dublin Tunnel and the Jack Lynch Tunnel in County Cork.

The contract runs for eight years and can be extended for another eight. If fully extended, it could be worth up to €600 million, excluding VAT. It includes the 24/7 operation of the Motorway Operations Control Centre (MOCC) in Dublin, which monitors over 1,200 km of the national motorway network.

This is the third consecutive time Egis has been selected to operate the Dublin Tunnel, continuing its long-standing relationship with TII. Under the new agreement, Egis Road & Tunnel Operations (ERTO) will manage the full operations of the Dublin Tunnel, Jack Lynch Tunnel, and MOCC.

Responsibilities include tolling operations and revenue management at the Dublin Tunnel, as well as routine and reactive maintenance, fire safety compliance, and the maintenance of electrical, drainage, ventilation, and lighting systems.

Egis will use the MOCC and its distributed infrastructure to monitor the motorway network, respond to incidents, and coordinate with maintenance contractors and emergency services. On routes like the M50, which has near-total camera coverage, Egis will handle incident detection, traffic control, and emergency coordination. The company will also manage Ireland's 1,600 roadside emergency phones and operate the variable message signs that provide real-time traffic updates to drivers.

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As part of the contract, Egis will align operations with TII's Sustainability Implementation Plan. From the start, the company intends to source 100% of its operational energy from renewable sources and continue transitioning the infrastructure toward net zero.

Egis has already implemented several infrastructure upgrades in the Dublin Tunnel. A new tolling system, designed by Arup and project-managed by Egis, uses laser and number plate recognition technology to improve vehicle throughput. The tunnel's SCADA system has been replaced to automate processes like temperature control and alert escalation. In 2022, all tunnel lighting was converted to LEDs, cutting energy use for lighting by 60%.

Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien visited the MOCC to mark the signing of the contract, joined by Pat Maher, Director of Network Management at TII, Steve Preece, CEO of Egis in Ireland, and Pierre-Yves Massille, Global CEO of Egis's Consulting and Operations Business Line.

Darragh O'Brien, Minister for Transport, said: "The Dublin Tunnel, Jack Lynch Tunnel and the country's motorway network are critical pieces of national infrastructure that contribute to improved road safety and Ireland's economic growth and competitiveness. Egis and TII have worked together to identify and implement upgrades to improve operations and reduce emissions."

The Minister continued: "I would like to thank all road users and stakeholders for their patience during this time and I am pleased to say that the works have now been completed and have led to improved traffic flow and enhanced monitoring systems in the Tunnel."

Steve Preece, CEO of Egis in Ireland, added: "We have been stewards of the Dublin Tunnel since 2006 and we are acutely aware of the need to ensure it operates and is maintained to the highest standards.

"We have just completed a series of upgrades to the Dublin Tunnel, and we are confident this will ensure it remains a critical part of both the city's road network and of the country's economic system. We apply the same high standards to the maintenance and operation of the Jack Lynch Tunnel and to monitoring the country's motorway network.

"We would like to thank Transport Infrastructure Ireland for choosing us as their partners and we look forward to continuing our work for the agency."