Indra, a global consulting firm, has secured a contract in Ireland worth €3.6m for renewing the toll system on the M1 PPP, one of the main highways in the country.

The M1 PPP highway, which connects Dublin to the border of Northern Ireland (UK), is used by more than 30,000 motorists every day.

The concessionaire, Celtic Roads Group (Dundalk), has selected Indra technology for renewing the toll system.

In 2004, Indra upgraded the toll system and in 2009, the company extended the systems to new high-speed roads.

The new contract will strengthen Indra's position in Ireland as one of the leading suppliers of toll system technology. The company has already deployed its systems on N25 Waterford, Ringsend Bridge and N6 Galway highways.

According to the contract terms, Indra will be responsible for upgrading road infrastructure and the back-office system of the M1 PPP mainline.

"The M1 PPP highway, which connects Dublin to the border of Northern Ireland (UK), is used by more than 30,000 motorists every day."

It will also renew technology of two ramp plazas as per the standards issued by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII, formerly the NRA).

The technology includes electronic toll systems, manual payment systems and unattended payment systems that accept all payment types from users.

The back-office system will manage and control payments, as well as keep track of revenue easily and securely, acting as an intermediary between the banks and providers.

Celtic Roads Group has also commissioned Indra to maintain the systems initially for one-year period, which could be extended for a period of 12 years.

Image: Vehicles on the M1 PPP in Ireland. Photo: Courtesy of Indra.