Led by Rajasthan, UP and Maharashtra, toll collection set for record high in FY26, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• India's National Highway toll collection is projected to reach a record high in FY26, with Rs 50,345 crore collected in the first three quarters.
• Total toll collection in FY25 was Rs 61,408 crore, and the pace of collection in FY26 suggests revenues will surpass previous years.
• Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra are key drivers of increased toll revenue, accounting for a significant portion of the total collection.
• The implementation of National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) has reduced average crossing time at fee plazas from 12.23 minutes to 40 seconds.

Detailed Insights:

• The increase in toll collection is attributed to the expansion of highway length, traffic volume, vehicle categories, and annual revision of user fees as per the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008.
• From FY21 to December 2025, the total user fee collected was Rs 2.78 lakh crore, indicating a 120% increase in the last five years.
• The government plans to implement multi-lane free flow tolling using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) with AI and FASTag to facilitate barrier-less tolling.
• Rajasthan's toll collection rose from Rs 3,330 crore in FY21 to Rs 6,289 crore in FY25, with a cumulative collection of Rs 24,310 crore.
• Uttar Pradesh's toll collection increased from Rs 3,087 crore to Rs 6,574 crore during the same period, totaling nearly Rs 23,900 crore.
• Maharashtra and Gujarat have also shown strong growth, more than doubling their toll revenues between FY21 and FY25.

Key Concepts Involved:

• National Highways Fee Rules, 2008: Regulations governing the determination of toll rates and collection on national highways.
• National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC): A program using FASTag for automated toll payments, reducing congestion.
• Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR): Technology using AI to identify vehicle number plates for automated toll collection.