Almost €24 million collected at Portlaoise toll plaza last year
Independent TD Carol Nolan says rural motorists ‘bearing the brunt’ of the costs
Rural motorists are ‘bearing the brunt’ of costs as Portlaoise toll collects almost €24 million in 2025, it has been claimed.
Independent Offaly TD Carol Nolan highlighted the costs with new figures released to her by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). They show that €23.7 million was collected at the M7/M8 Portlaoise toll plaza in 2025 (exclusive of VAT).
The Portlaoise toll plaza, operated under a Public Private Partnership by Celtic Roads Group (Portlaoise) Ltd, with toll collection managed by MidLink M7/M8 Ltd, affects thousands of Laois drivers daily.
“This toll remains a significant daily cost for families, commuters, agri-businesses and hauliers with many having no realistic free alternative route for essential journeys to Dublin or the south of the country,” said Deputy Nolan.
“Indeed, every time drivers or businesses use the M7/M8, they are hit with a €2.30 toll for cars and up to €7.50 for HGVs. In 2025 alone, this single plaza extracted €23.7 million from road users in the Midlands. That is a significant amount of money to be taking from the pockets of people in Offaly and the Midlands.”
Dep Nolan said “we really do need a more focused conversation on why motorists are still paying premium prices to use motorways built over 15 years ago, with the concession not due to end until 2037. It’s simply not fair.”
“Toll revenues are supposed to contribute to national road improvements, but as we all know there continues to be major deficits in local road maintenance and upgrades. I will be pursuing further answers on exactly how much of this €23.7 million is being reinvested back into the M7/M8 corridor and surrounding Midlands roads.”
“It is time for a root-and-branch review of these long-term tolling deals. Rural motorists should not continue to subsidise the network indefinitely while bearing the brunt of the charges,” concluded Dep Nolan.