The tunnel was used 9.7 million times, up from 9.1 million the previous year, with two-thirds of those journeys being tolled.
The charge to use the tunnel during peak hours increased on January 1 last year to €12, and the off-peak toll went up by 50c to €3.50.
The 2024 annual report of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) shows that toll income for the tunnel increased to €32m last year, up from €27m in 2023.
Traffic volumes on the national road network grew again in 2024, the report says, with 68.4 million tolling journeys, up 4pc. This equated to €240m in tolling revenues, up 16.5pc.
The M50, Ireland’s busiest road, also carried higher traffic volumes, up 2pc, with average annual daily traffic levels exceeding 160,000. In total, 58 million journeys were recorded on Dublin’s ‘ring road’.
Today’s News in 90 Seconds – October 3rd
“Year-on-year toll income grew by 12pc to €212m, due to the combined effect of higher traffic volumes and an inflation-linked increase in toll charges which entered into effect in January 2024,” the annual report says of the M50.
“The overall estimated compliance rate was 97.14pc, which is generally in line with 2023.” Included in the M50 toll income was €12.5m in penalties, which was also similar to the previous year.
Toll rates on the M50 were last increased in July 2023. Cars without tags had to pay €3.50 from then on, €0.20 extra, while those with video accounts went from €2.70 to €2.90.
The Government had stalled that increase, issuing a directive in December 2022 that toll rates on the M50 were not to go up for the next six months. TII says that the amount of revenue foregone as a result was €7m.
The toll income amounts for the Dublin Port Tunnel and M50 were stated after a provision of €9.4m was made for eFlow charges that are deemed uncollectable. The actual bad debt charge for the year was €6.1m.
The agency also has responsibility for Metrolink, which this week was granted planning permission by An Coimisuin Pleanala.
In its annual report, TII said the planning and design development phase of Metrolink progressed “significantly” last year, with the appointment of programme director Sean Sweeney, completion of a second round of public consultation and “mobilisation of over 700 personnel”.
The number of passengers using the Luas in Dublin also increased last year, reaching what TII says was a “record-breaking” 54 million passenger journeys – a figure that “surpasses any previous records or projections”.
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