The Central Government has amended the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Rules, 2008, allowing lower toll charges on National Expressways that are not yet operational end to end.
The revised rules will come into effect from 15 February 2026.
Under the existing framework, users were required to pay a toll fee approximately 25 per cent higher than that of normal National Highways even when travelling on partially completed expressway stretches.
This premium was justified on the grounds that access-controlled corridors typically offer faster, safer and more seamless travel.
The newly notified amendment changes this approach.
When a National Expressway is opened only in sections, toll will now be charged at the lower rate applicable to National Highway stretches for the completed portion, aligning user fees more closely with the level of service currently available.
“The amendment is aimed at promoting use of the National Expressways to encourage users to travel through the opened stretches that will help in decongesting the existing National Highway routes parallel to the Expressways, enabling faster movement of logistics and passengers as well as reduction in pollution due to traffic congestion on old National Highways,” the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement.
Titled the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, the provision will remain valid for up to one year from the date it comes into force, or until the concerned expressway becomes fully operational, whichever is earlier.
The amendment forms part of the government’s broader effort to make highway travel more seamless and economical while optimising the use of newly built infrastructure.
By recalibrating toll rates during the transition phase of expressway development, the policy seeks to balance commuter affordability with network efficiency as India continues to expand its high-speed road corridors.
Read also : India collected over ₹2.27 lakh crore in highway toll in five years: govt
