India’s Top Five Toll Plazas Surpass Rs 1 Crore Daily; 457 New Toll Booths Established Since 2019
India's Top Five Toll Plazas Surpass Rs 1 Crore Daily; 457 New Toll Booths Established Since 2019
According to data from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the Bharthana toll plaza in Gujarat has set a new record for toll collections, amassing Rs 472.65 crore in the financial year 2023-24. This plaza has consistently led the toll collection charts for the past five financial years, accumulating a total of Rs 2,043.80 crore from 2019-20 to 2023-24. These collections include both Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) and cash payments.
Following closely, the Shahjahanpur toll plaza in Rajasthan secured the second-highest toll collection, generating Rs 429.65 crore in 2023-24 and a cumulative Rs 1,884.45 crore over the past five years. The Gharonda toll plaza in Haryana ranked third for the last financial year with Rs 400.26 crore, while the Barajore plaza in Uttar Pradesh and the Jaladhulagori plaza in West Bengal followed with Rs 364.69 crore and Rs 364.23 crore, respectively.
Notably, among the 983 operational toll plazas across India, five plazas have averaged daily earnings exceeding Rs 1 crore in the last financial year. These top-earning toll plazas are located in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Nationally, toll fees collected between 2019-20 and 2023-24 amounted to Rs 1.94 lakh crore. Uttar Pradesh toll plazas contributed the highest amount, totaling Rs 23,736.45 crore. Interestingly, Rajasthan, which hosts the most toll plazas in the country (142), followed with collections of Rs 21,887.88 crore. Maharashtra ranked next with Rs 18,703.39 crore over the same period.
Gujarat’s five toll plazas, including Bharthana, Vasad, Boriach, Samakhiyali, and Choryasi, collectively generated Rs 6,254.24 crore, accounting for nearly 35 percent of the state’s total toll collections of Rs 18,442.5 crore on national highways.
The ministry’s data also highlights that 457 new toll plazas were constructed on national highways over the past five years, with 107 added in 2022-23 alone. Rajasthan saw the addition of 58 new plazas, while Madhya Pradesh added 57 and Uttar Pradesh 52.
As of June 30, 2024, a total of 983 user fee plazas are operational on India’s national highways. Of these, 649 are publicly funded, and 334 are based on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). For public-funded/annuity projects, the government collects user fees by engaging contractors through competitive e-bidding. In PPPs, the concessionaire is responsible for fee collection. The tolling system in India typically operates under an open system, where the fee is a fixed amount based on the stretch length, usually 60 kilometers. If the stretch is shorter, the fee is adjusted accordingly.
The user fee at a particular plaza depends on the length of the stretch, structures like bridges or tunnels, highway width, applicable fee rules, and concession agreements. Vehicles are categorized based on their size, load capacity, road impact, and usage type (commercial or personal) to ensure fair tolling practices. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has announced that toll rates nationwide will rise by an average of 5 percent, effective from June 3, 2024 which might affect the toll collections further.
