Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company, has been recognised with Irish Rail’s CCE (Chief Civil Engineer) Continuous Improvement Day Award for ‘Contractor of the Year’, acknowledging exceptional service delivery to Irish Rail. The award recognises the first-class support provided to Irish Rail consistently from all of our collaborations.
Two Decades of Excellence in Railway Infrastructure
For over 20 years of partnership, Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company has been at the forefront of providing comprehensive geospatial services to Irish Rail, helping to capture, verify, collate and govern critical data that empowers the infrastructure owner with enhanced understanding of their assets. This data-driven approach enables informed decision-making across Ireland’s extensive railway network.
Our service portfolio encompasses the full spectrum of geospatial solutions, demonstrating our versatility and technical expertise across multiple disciplines
Comprehensive Survey Solutions
Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company’s survey capabilities include topographic surveys, inspections, aerial mapping, data analysis, track surveys, tunnel surveys, mobile mapping surveys, building surveys and coastal erosion surveys. A recent standout achievement was the Network Wide Tree Survey, which saw almost 2,000 kilometres of railway surveyed as part of the largest UAV survey ever undertaken in Ireland.
Inspections
Our inspections team provide roped access principal bridge inspections, bridge scour inspections, confined space inspections, steelwork inspections, and both non-destructive and destructive testing services. Notably, Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company has completed over 1,500 bridge inspections in the past decade, demonstrating our commitment to railway safety and infrastructure integrity.
Digital Engineering Innovation
Embracing cutting-edge technology, Murphy Geospatial delivers laser scan surveys of stations, BIM modelling, and 360-degree panoramic capture services. Our recent high-detail model of Heuston Station, captured in 2024, exemplifies our resources in digital infrastructure documentation.
Subsurface and Monitoring Expertise
Our subsurface engineering services include utility mapping, geophysical surveys, detection of culverts, and ballast depth surveys. Additionally, our monitoring services encompass third-party works monitoring, interferometric monitoring, and bridge natural frequency monitoring, providing comprehensive oversight of railway infrastructure health and performance.
Advanced Data Management
Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company also provides data hosting services, managing large geospatial datasets on interactive data portals, ensuring that critical infrastructure information remains accessible and actionable for Irish Rail’s operational needs.
Leadership Perspectives
Cathal Mangan, Chief Civil Engineer for Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail said: “Murphy Geospatial are the worthy winners of our Contractor of the Year Award for 2025. Central to this success has been the combining of innovation and technical excellence with a genuinely collaborative approach across a broad range of services provided to Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail. This collaboration has been central to our core objective of safe and reliable provision of railway infrastructure for the operation of our services. Congratulations to all at Murphy Geospatial on this well-deserved award.”
Ray Murphy, Chief Strategy Officer – Founder of Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company, commented: “Working with Irish Rail for so many years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our journey, and to be acknowledged with this award is truly special. Our team have put so much dedication into every project, and I’m thankful for the trust and collaboration that makes this partnership what it is. What makes this relationship particularly meaningful is our shared vision for continuous improvement and innovation, always looking for better ways to capture, understand and use data to strengthen the rail network for the future.”
Paraic Quirke, Director and Head of Infrastructure and Natural Environment at Murphy Geospatial, a Woolpert Company, added: “This recognition validates our approach of combining traditional surveying expertise with cutting-edge technology. From our record-breaking UAV surveys to our comprehensive bridge inspection programmes, we’re proud to contribute to the safety and efficiency of Ireland’s railway network. It is fantastic to work with a visionary, digitally minded client and our team’s expertise in digital engineering and data management positions us to continue to support Irish Rail’s digital transformation.”
Irish Rail’s CCE Continuous Improvement Day Awards represents not only recognition of past achievements but also acknowledgement of our role in shaping the future of Ireland’s railway infrastructure through innovative geospatial solutions.
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