Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified an important change to the toll collection rules for National Expressways. From February 15, 2026, users will pay a reduced toll fee when an expressway is only partially open, instead of the full 25 per cent extra charge that was previously applied.
Under the existing National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, a 25 per cent higher toll is levied on users of National Expressways compared to regular National Highways. This higher fee is justified by the benefits of controlled access, faster travel, seamless journeys, and greater comfort.
However, when an expressway is not fully operational from end to end, the full benefits are not available. To address this, the government has introduced an amendment titled the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) (Amendment) Rules, 2026.
The new rule states that if a National Expressway is opened only in sections and not end-to-end, the toll will be charged at the lower rate applicable to a regular National Highway section for the completed length. This change aims to make toll charges fairer for users who are driving on partially completed stretches.
The amendment will come into effect from February 15, 2026, and will remain valid for up to one year from the date of notification or until the expressway becomes fully operational, whichever happens earlier.
The government expects the revised rule to encourage more people to use the opened sections of expressways. This will help reduce traffic pressure on older National Highways running parallel to the new expressways, improve logistics movement, ease congestion, speed up passenger travel, and lower pollution caused by slow-moving traffic on conventional roads.
Officials described the change as a user-friendly step that ensures commuters pay only for the actual benefits they receive. It forms part of ongoing efforts to make travel on National Highways and Expressways more affordable, efficient, and environmentally friendly.
The notification has been welcomed by road users and logistics operators, who often face higher costs when using incomplete expressway sections. The Ministry hopes the measure will boost overall usage of India’s expanding expressway network while maintaining fairness in toll collection.
