Egis has been awarded the contract to operate and maintain the Dublin Tunnel and the Jack Lynch Tunnel in Cork that could be worth a potential €600m.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland has given the consultancy and engineering firm an eight-year contract to operate the tunnels with an option to extend the deal for a further eight years.

The announcement follows a tender process and includes the 24/7 operation of the Dublin-based Motorway Operations Control Centre (MOCC), which monitors over 1,200km of the country’s motorways.

If extended to 16 years, the full contract could have a potential value of €600m excluding VAT. It is the third successive time that Egis has won the tender to manage and operate the Dublin Tunnel.

Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien, TII director of network management Pat Maher, Egis CEO in Ireland Steve Preece, and Pierre-Yves Massile, global CEO of the Egis consulting and operations business line met at MOCC to sign the contract.

Under the new agreement, Egis oversee tolling operations and the management of toll revenue at Dublin Tunnel, while also taking responsibility essential services including routine and reactive maintenance, fire safety compliance, and the operation and upkeep of key infrastructure such as electrical, drainage, ventilation, and lighting systems. 

As operator of MOCC, Egise will monitor the motorways and liaise with service providers on incident response. On the M50, where there is near full camera coverage, Egis will be responsible for incident detection and coordination of response, traffic monitoring and control, and direct coordination with maintenance contractors and emergency services during incidents.

Additionally, Egis will manage calls from Ireland’s 1,600 emergency roadside telephones and be responsible for the operation of variable message signs that provide real-time information to road users across the network.

Egis has committed to align its operations with TII's Sustainability Implementation Plan as part of the deal, and intends to source 100% of operational energy from renewable sources from day one and continue to transition to net zero.

"Transport Infrastructure Ireland will oversee this contract on behalf of the state and, working with Egis, will continue to deliver all the services as agreed," said Minister O'Brien.

"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. This includes a series of recent upgrades at the Dublin Tunnel, which required a level of extra closures over the past year."

The Dublin Tunnel has implemented a new tolling system, designed by Arup and project managed by Eris, that uses laser technology and number plate recognition to process vehicles more quickly and improve traffic flow.

The Dublin Tunnel’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA), which monitors and controls processes and equipment, has been replaced to include the enhanced automation of functions such as temperature management and the escalation of any issues requiring the input of human controllers. 

In 2022, all the lights in the Tunnel were switched to LEDs, a process that involved changing 1,800 light bulbs and resulted in a 60% reduction in light-related energy usage.

"We are delighted to have won the contract to operate, maintain and oversee these vital pieces of national infrastructure. 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," said Preece.

"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."

Photo: (l-r) Steve Preece, Darragh O'Brien and Pat Maher. (Pic: Shane O'Neill, Coalesce)